Wingless Angels
by ShatteredHeart98
Summary: A new drug, Satan, is being tested on a group of teens, and one lucky victim is taken under the wing of Sei and the girls' to control her wild 'power', but her memory is fragmented and remembering her hell is crucial to her survival and her sanity.
1. Satan's Hell

**Wingless Angels**

**Chapter One:Satan's Hell **

My blood ran thickly down my arm and spotted on the floor. I stared at it through half closed eyes as my body began to lose the rest of its strength.

"Are you going to listen now?"

I bit my lip hard so the pain would keep my awake. I did not want to be unconscious in front of this man. I would be powerless to him, and he could do whatever he wanted. I would wake up, beaten and with a cut up back like the last time, left to bleed half to death in a ditch until they were ready to drag me back in.

I gritted my teeth as he dragged his knife over my arm again.

"I will cut you until you bleed to death, you little bitch! Now get up and get into the testing chambers!"

I shook my head again. Those tests were agony. Tubes being poked into your body, water pushing you down until you can't breathe, demons of insanity appearing before your eyes. I would had rather spent my afternoon in this decaying cell, waiting for starvation to claim me.

The man snapped as I refused again and raised his knife high into the air, yelling, "Fine! You asked for it!"

A gunshot silenced everything. I felt warm blood splatter across the back of my neck, and the man slumped forward over me. I turned my head to the side to see his dead eyes staring back at me, then I stifled a cry and turned away.

That was the thing about these people. They were not hesitant to kill their own.

"Now, now, that was a bit mean of him, wasn't it? He shouldn't have done that…"

I knew that sleazy voice. The man's name was Badge, simply because he had no other, and he wore a number of stolen badges on his shirt. They were a sort of fixation for him, but he was not as innocent as it made him seem. Being the little brother of the boss was definitely giving him the power he desired, and he used it to take down whomever he pleased.

"I won't go," I muttered stubbornly.

He was smiling as he walked into my blurred view. "Are you really that scared of our little tests? Surely they are not that bad."

I didn't answer. There was no point in explaining, simply because he did not care.

His smirk vanished as I remained silent and a burst of rage pulsed through him. He punched me in the jaw, and as I fell into the darkness I could hear him laughing like the psychopath he was.

There I was again like every gruelling week, standing naked in a giant glass case with tubes hanging from my mouth and nose. I could not breathe as the liquid around me took away all of my air, and I had the same panic of drowning. A few seconds later the liquid drug named Satan was pumped through the tubes and into my system.

Then the hallucinations began.

As I began to see dark clouds swarming around me, what remained of the real world was coming to life. The dealers of this drug and my captors in the same began typing wildly on their computers as they monitored the torture I was going through.

A skeletal hand reached out through the black swirling mist before me and slammed me into the back of the glass. It cracked and cut into my back, but I could not scream. My voice was gone, so all I could do was struggle as this un-dead creature grasped me around the throat and strangled the life out of me.

"The test is complete. Get her out of there."

I opened my eyes as the now empty glass prison was opened and human hands of flesh grasped me and pulled me out. The tubes were ripped from my mouth and nose, dragging blood trails with them. I coughed and spluttered for all I was worth and they dragged me across the floor like a rag doll, calling for the next victim to be locked in.

The next time I opened my eyes I was lying in the corner of my cell with blood crusted on my lips and trailing down from my nose. My head ached as though someone had knocked it into the bricked walls around me, and I could barely move it at all. The light above me burned into my sensitive eyes, and my muscles jerked suddenly, forcing up a wave of nausea and the tiny amounts of dinner I had been fed.

As I vomited, someone entered the hall outside of my cell. Their feet slapped against the floor, and I lifted my head quickly, knowing that sound perfectly well in my mind.

It was the boss of the dealers.

"Rachael, test subject number twenty two."

I bared my teeth.

The man laughed and shook his head. "Yes, you're right. That is much too formal. To us, you are just one of our oldest used animals."

"What do you want?" I asked rudely. I had no respect for this man, the leader of the dealers.

"I heard you were very disobedient today," he said quietly, running his hand over my bars as though to antagonize me. "One of my men died because of it."

"Blame Badge," I said simply.

He growled and punched one of the bars, making it ring in my ears. "Do not blame my brother! If you had not enraged Karl he would not have ended up dead!"

"If you're brother had some control…" I began, but trailed off and turned away. It was best not to anger this man.

"Sir!"

Another of the dealers ran into the hall and slid to a stop before his boss. The man, not much older than a boy really, looked hectic and panicked. His hands waved in the air as he struggled for words.

"What is it, Celone?"

"G-gunshots! People… our own, dead!"

"What?"

For the first time I saw fear in the eyes of the dealer leader.

"Badge?" he asked immediately, grasping a handful of Celone's hair to keep him talking. "Is my brother alright?"

Celone gave a weak nod before somewhere nearby, a door was smashed to the ground.

"Don't make a move! I am a part of the RAPT police force-"

Whomever had been speaking was shot dead by Celone as he pulled out a trembling gun. Behind him, his 'strong' and 'courageous' leader was running down the hall like a mouse from a hungry cat.

I could hear more RAPT soldiers entering the hall, and bullets began hitting Celone in the chest. His body convulsed in the air with every shot and blood exploded from his body before he was thrown to the floor completely.

"Move in!"

Through the thin walls I could hear more chaos throughout the remainder of the facility that was my prison. People were screaming and gunshots became the only other dominant sound. I could smell the thick smoke and coughed until a rag was placed over my mouth and hands dragged me to my feet.

Over the crumpled bars of my cell I was led. Swarms of soldiers in black and orange pushed past me without a glance. They all stared out of their helmets with no visible fear, their guns held firmly in their hands. The smoke was getting worse and I coughed into the rag pressed to my face. Tears filled my eyes and I was forced to close them.

When I opened them again, I was staring at Badge.

Around me, the soldiers had been killed. He held the weapon of such destruction in his hand and laughed at his murders.

"Pathetic, aren't they? My dear brother has already escaped along with some other dealers, but not me. I stay behind and keep these bastards back to protect him! I'm brave enough for this!"

He truly was insane, but I just nodded and backed away some steps.

He shook his head and jerked the gun up to point it at me. "Uh-uh, come back here."

I did not budge from where I was.

Badge clenched his teeth. "Rachael… That was it, right?"

I didn't respond.

"Is that your name?" he asked angrily, holding the gun firmer now and correcting his aim.

Now I was nodding furiously.

He smiled. "Good. Now, Rachael, I am going to shoot you, and you will be my fifty third victim today, and my second out of you test subjects."

He explained it so calmly that I was not even expecting the bullet completely. Nevertheless, I reacted. My body surged with power and I rushed forward. Everything around me slowed and I found myself passing the bullet. My eyes bored into Badge and my fears melted away as I saw his stricken face, trying to understand how I could move so fast. I leapt into the air, my fist driving up into his jaw and snapping it back, then as I felt the blood splash against my front, I allowed myself to rise higher until I nearly touched the roof. When I landed it was on a perfect crouched angle, and I turned too see Badge lying in a pool of his own blood.

Having no energy left to even stand straight again, I fainted dead away on the spot.

"What is your name?"

"Rachael."

"How old are you, Rachael?"

"I'm sixteen, seventeen in five weeks."

These questions were pointless to me. No one was looking for me, and no one would miss me… accept for…

"So your birthday is on the eighteenth of September?"

"Yeah," I replied absent minded as I tried to remember the person my mind struggled on.

"Are you alright?"

I quickly shook my head to clear it of the haze. "I'm just trying to remember… someone."

The young man nodded and pat me comfortingly on the shoulder. "It may be hard for a while because your memory has been damaged by the shock… and the drug."

"Satan," I muttered.

He nodded his head. "We found out much about this drug, and I am sure you are happy to know that it will not bring you any fatal harm."

I felt an odd disappointment twist in my stomach. Should I be upset by this?

Feeling I needed time, the man left me to my thoughts.

All I could remember since waking up in this hospital was the fragments of my life in that cell, the tests, Satan, and my kill… That power I had used had been enough to bring down Badge with ease, and I wondered what on earth it was I possessed. Never had I moved like that or struck so perfectly.

I woke in a hospital after I passed out in front of Badge's body. They knew of my power and what I had done, and now I was deemed dangerous and unstable. Fortunately I was allowed to normal circumstances, with a hospital bed, my own room, and regular check ups from the doctors.

I lay back, my head sinking into the soft pillow. I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep, but I could hear voices outside of my room and I could not find that dark void.

"Well she hasn't done anything of the like since she woke up here."

I kept my eyes shut to seem asleep, but listened to the conversation taking place. I knew it was about me, so that gave me the right… right?

"You say she has no memory?"

"Not a very strong one. She remembers the painful pieces, like the tests and the drugging, but there seem to be parts missing."

"I see."

They spoke about my story, about how I had been found by the boss of the dealers to be tested with their new drug, Satan. It was me and many others, and when we were not facing the effects of the drugs whilst they recorded what we went through, we were locked in cages with very little food and water.

"They were treated like animals," I heard whom I thought to be the nurse as she explained everything about me.

The woman asking questions seemed constantly intrigued.

"Do you know how long she has been there?"

"Not entirely. She does not remember, but it seems like some time. She is weary of us when we need to test her such as immunisations and such, so she has some trauma."

"That must be difficult."

"It is… May I ask why you are so interested in this patient?"

Now my eyes opened and I glanced out towards the glass where I could see them on the other side. The woman whom was asking about me did not turn to me, but continued to face the nurse. She was beautiful with short hair tied at the back with a purple ribbon and a pale complexion, but what she said had me confused to my core.

"I have been asked to take her along with my crew."


	2. Trailer Tales

**Chapter Two:Trailer Tales**

Sometimes things happen that change our lives forever. These events can occur in a second, a minute, or sometimes they take time, but they can be the smallest things. Circumstances make them happen, such as missing a bus. You could end up on the one coming ten minutes after and meet the man or woman of your dreams, or perhaps you could end up dead. That was the brutality of fate. Sometimes you get the shit end of the stick.

The nurse that had spoken with the short haired woman came to speak to me some time later. She told me that this woman, Sei, was going to take me to her 'family' and look after me.

"Is that legal?" I asked immediately.

The nurse smiled. "She has filled out all of the paperwork required. She is not your foster mother or anything like that, but you will be under her protection and care."

I lowered my head, unsure of what to think about this.

"Do you want to go?"

That was a fair question, but I did not have an answer.

"Where will she take me?" I asked.

To my surprise, the nurse rose and strode to the door, saying, "Perhaps you should ask her face to face."

The door was opened, and the nurse waited outside as Sei came by my bed. She took a seat on the edge and looked at me with a gentle smile. "Hello. My name is Sei."

"Yeah, I know, but… who exactly are you?"

I was trying to be kind, but that was hard to muster when I was so used to biting back at my torturers.

Sei seemed unaffected by my struggle to contain myself. "I am the leader of a small group of girls in an organisation known as Bai Lan whom are focused on ending the destruction in our home land of Tokyo."

She was speaking to me like I was intelligent, and I had sorely missed that formality.

She continued. "I was asked to bring you along with me to meet these girls. There we will help you control your ability so you do not become hunter down by RAPT."

"What happens when I control it? Will I be used by your Bai Lan team?" I asked cautiously.

She shook her head. "It was a request submitted by a friend of yours that caught the attention of the leader of Bai Lan. He knew this person and knew that they were important to you, so he asked me to take care of you."

"Wait, wait," I said, sitting up straight in my bed. "Who was this person? And why did he give you the job of taking care of me."

Sei made herself more comfortable on my bed as she started to realise I had a lot of questions to ask. "I am not sure who this person was, but they too were a part of the experimentation, and the job was given to me because he knows that me and my girls can take very good care of you and keep you from harm."

I would have to take her word on the care and safety that she ensured, but I still had no idea of this person. Perhaps they were the same one I had thought about before.

The woman before me could see I was struggling with my memory, so she convinced me to stop. "You should get some rest and help your mind figure out what is going on, but if you really don't want to stay here we can get going now."

She was offering me a choice, something that I had hungered for in my hell. I was eager to get out, so I pulled myself straight out of the bed and gathered my clothes from the closet.

"Well you're certainly eager," the nurse said as she poked her head back into the room. She looked a little downcast as she came over.

Sei helped me shrug my jacket on and spoke to the nurse. "Are you sure she is ready?"

The nurse nodded, and then pat me on the shoulder gently. "I'll miss you. You had quiet a mouth on you, but you kept us all entertained."

I shrugged modestly. "I had to do something to pass the time."

I discharged from the hospital and left it behind me as I headed down the sidewalk with Sei, eyeing all of the cars.

"So which one of these is yours?" I asked, expecting a big truck or something else large enough to carry a family. When I saw the sparkling red sports car I walked straight past until she caught my arm.

"This one," she said, inserting the key into the door and unlocking it for me. The door folded up into the air, revealing an even better scene inside.

"This… is yours? Wow, how much do you get paid?" I asked eagerly, already rethinking my plans for the future and picturing the type of job I would be able to get in this 'peace organisation.'

Sei laughed as she helped me into the car. "More than enough for fancy things like this."

As we drove down the road I had to wrestle with my fatigue to stop myself from falling asleep. I wanted to be awake to enjoy the ride, but my head seemed to droop down every few minutes. I tried biting my lip, opening my eyes as wide as they went, and trying to convince myself that if I did fall asleep I would have terrible nightmares, but it didn't work.

Sei saw as I began to drift off and smiled. She seemed to be happy that I was with her, and I hoped that I could trust her after all of the lacking I had had in that department before.

******

"Rachael, wake up. We're here."

That voice, who was that?

A hand gripped my shoulder softly and rocked me a little.

It was them, the dealers. They were getting me up for more tests.

"No…"

"Rachael?"

"No more… tests"

"Hey." There was an urgency to the voice now, and they shook me a little harder by the shoulder.

My eyes cracked open and I jumped back into the car door. Sei stared at me with a shocked look on her face, then she calmed a little. "Rachael, I think you had a dream. Are you okay?"

I shuddered a little, sweat beginning to form on my forehead. "S-Sei?"

She nodded with that smile I was getting used to. "Yeah, it's me."

I relaxed a little and looked over her shoulder to see a giant silver trailer. Surely that was not what she lived in?

She saw my looked and motioned towards the trailer. "That's it, our home. It may not look like much, but wait until you get inside."

I could not stop staring, so Sei left the car first and walked to my side to help me out. As soon as my feet landed on the pavement a wave of dizziness caused my knees to buckle, but Sei held me tightly around the back.

"Whoa, take it easy. They said the drug hasn't worn off completely, so some affects may still remain for an hour or so."

"Fainting spells," I muttered, resting on the side of the car a little. "They're common."

The door to the trailer swung open and another young girl came out. She had long reddish brown hair that blew behind her in the wind and striking yellow clothes that didn't leave much to the imagination. She rushed over to me with an air of excitement. Her sea blue eyes glistened as she whirled around the car and prepared to embrace me.

"Hi, you must be the new…" She gaped at me as she realised that I was not going to well on the healthy side. "Oh my god, are you alright?"

"Help me get her inside," Sei ordered firmly, and the pair supported me to the door.

"It-it's okay, really. I th-think I can manage."

"Are you kidding me? You can't even walk," the brown haired girl argued. "Sei, is this the drug?" I assumed Sei had already told her the story.

A third member appeared in the doorway, and I was struck by her in particular. Her hair was short and silver, curving around a stern face with bright red eyes. She looked like someone whom would rip my throat out, but at the sight of me barely holding on to consciousness she moved out of my way to allow room with a stunned look on her face.

I pulled myself up the steps and stared at her for a moment as I passed. In my blurring sight she still looked amazing, but I could not even introduce myself before I fell to the floor in a heap.

"What the hell?"

I could hear another voice I did not recognise, and as I stared across the floor through half closed eyes I could see a young girl standing in the archway of the hall. She had long hair tied in pigtails, and she had a bright, cheerful face, but it was not smiling as she stared at my fallen form.

"Do we bring in the homeless now?" she asked in a high voice as she pointed to me. "Look at her! Was she living in a ditch?"

No one replied to the girl, but the silver haired girl asked her own questions that received no answers, such as, 'who is she?' 'Why is she here?' and 'How can we trust her?'

Sei got frustrated with her and snapped. "Jo, help me get her onto the couch! Then I can explain everything, alright?"

The now silent woman named Jo was strong. She lifted me from the ground easily with Sei's help and they led me over to the couch. My legs trembled with every step, but I could not fall with the pair supporting me. They allowed me to sink back in the couch, and then Sei took a seat beside me.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

I nodded a little. "Like I said, it's normal. Satan should wear off in a little while."

"Satan?" Jo echoed, staring at Sei. "What the hell is she talking about?"

"Yeah, wasn't that on the news last night?" Meg asked as she sat on the floor in front of the couch and stretched out her legs lazily.

"I didn't see it," Jo said.

"That's because you were watching your damn horror movies!" Meg explained tersely. "You miss everything on the news!"

"Yeah, that was it," Sei said, ignoring the argument that was simmering. "Last night the dealers of this drug were attacked by RAPT, and Rachael here was taken to a hospital after…" she trailed off and glanced at me as though to ask permission.

I nodded sleepily. "It's okay. They need to know."

Sei continued. "Rachael possesses a powerful ability that allows her to become a 'berserker' I guess you could say. Last night she unleashed this power and therefore survived, however she is now considered a danger to the public unless we can teach her to control herself."

As the information sunk in, no one spoke. I took the opportunity to study the girls better as I began to feel more awake. They all seemed young, and they all seemed built for battle, even the little one. They were thin and fit, and there was a 'family' feeling to the group. Perhaps they were all sisters.

Jo was the first to break the silence. "So that's why she is here," she answered herself. "So we can babysit her and teach her manners."

Sei sighed. "I know it seems like dull work to you, Jo, but remember when I brought you here? You needed help and I gave you a job that you love. Why can't she have the same thing?"

This seemed to have struck Jo. She said nothing more on the topic, but simply got up and went to her room, saying shortly that she was going to get some sleep.

Amy stuck her tongue out after the girl as the disappeared in the hall. "Why does she always have to be like that?" she whined.

Meg shrugged. "You know what she's like with strangers. She's only getting uptight about it because she wants us to be safe."

I was feeling less and less visible by the minute. I sat up a little straighter on the couch. "I won't be any danger to you."

"I know, but it will take Jo some time to realise that. Don't worry about it in the meantime. She'll come round," Sei said gently.

"Yeah, remember Kyo?" Amy said with a laugh. "She didn't even realise he was there at all until he ended up saving her when she was trying to rescue you." The young girl looked up at Meg whom had gone bright red.

The inside of the trailer was very clean, and had a comfortable feeling to it. It was like a little flat really, with a table and booths, a TV on the opposite end of the kitchen, and behind the couch I sat on was a hallway where I assumed the bedrooms and bathroom was.

I got to know the girl's a little better as the night began to surround us. Amy was a chirpy little girl of eleven years. She acted tough and grown up, but when she was insulted she would throw a tantrum and run to Sei.

The tormentor was often Meg whom had a short fuse with certain people it seemed. She was the closest to Jo, and she also seemed prone to getting into danger. Almost everytime she was telling a story, she would emphasize it to the point where it was barely believable. She seemed quiet the livewire.

Being the eldest of the four, Sei seemed to be like the older sister. She took care of their hurts inside and out, and protected them whenever they were in trouble, which was often. She handed out the missions and the money, but cared for them deeply.

They were not family, only close friends as they put it, and fate had wound them all together when Sei had been asked to gather a group, and she found whom she was looking for in the same week: Amy, the computer genius, Jo, the gun fighter, and Meg, whom had simply never been able to leave Jo's side, but she was a good helped in keeping Jo in line.

"So, anyway, before I was _rudely_ interrupted!" Amy yelled, glaring at Meg. "We were almost at our wits end as we lost sight of this guy again, but then Jo said that she had found him-"

"_I_ said that I had found him!" Meg corrected heatedly. "He was jumping along the tops of buildings, so Jo ran up after him and managed to gun him down halfway to the docks."

Amy crossed her arms across her chest and pouted. "I was telling the story!"

"You were taking too long!"

"Was not!"

Sei pressed a hand to her forehead. "Girls, that's enough. I think it is way past your bedtime, Amy."

"Aww…" the youngster got to her feet and swayed tiredly on the spot. "But I'm not sleepy!"

"Tell me that when you can keep your eyes open," Sei said with a smile. "Go on, you need your rest. Working on that computer all day makes you tired and grumpy."

Being called grumpy seemed to upset Amy further and she stalked off to her room, stopping only to poke her tongue out at Sei.

I glanced at the oldest woman, expecting her to scold the girl, but she only laughed. "That girl…"

Meg yawned and stretched her arms wide. "Ahh… well, I'd better be getting to bed too. I'm exhausted. Night, Sei, Rachael." She waved to us then headed down the hallway.

I felt a little awkward alone with Sei. Sure, she had taken me into her protection, and she seemed friendly and caring, but I did not know any of them well enough to feel like I belonged yet.

"You should probably get some rest," she said softly as not to wake the others. "Is this couch okay?"

I nodded and stretched myself out along the cushions as she fetched some blankets for me. It was a very comfortable piece of furniture, and as I looked around I noticed that they all looked rather expensive. These girl's must have quiet a bit of money under their belts.

When Sei returned with an armful of blankets she looked rather relieved to see I was still awake. "I thought you might have fainted. You're looking pretty pale."

I smiled reassuringly. "I'm okay now. It's starting to wear off."

As I lay the blankets over myself the cold that was seeping in vanished and I snuggled into my 'bed'. It was the most relaxing I had felt all day and the feeling was welcome.

"Sleep well," Sei said as she headed off towards the hallway. "Jo is always the first one up, but she shouldn't give you any trouble if you're awake then."

I nodded and poked my head out of the covers just before she flicked off the lights and left me to the dark.

"Umm… Sei?"

"What is it?"

I paused for a moment before saying, "Thanks."

She smiled and flicked off the light switch.

"Goodnight Rachael."


	3. Life's Beginnings

**Chapter Three:Life's Beginnings **

My past was no longer a part of me. I was floating away in the sea of life, and everything that had happened before was being pulled away in the tide behind me. I searched for it, but it was like my shadow that followed me everywhere, and the longer I looked at it, the less visible it was.

All that remained in my head was the killing of Badge, the gunshots of RAPT, the pain, the suffering, the screams and every hallucination the monsters made me face, then I was in the hospital being told that I would have to work to gain the rest, but the thing was… Did I really want to remember?

Still, I searched. I felt there was something important that needed me to, but the longer I looked, the scarier things became. I felt more of the pain from before, found more scars along my body, and my mind began to struggle too.

Thus my nightmares were born…

_I was running…_

_Everything was a blur as I passed by. Lights blared into my eyes and blinded me. I tripped and fell, finding my hands deep in blood every time. I screamed out, cried for help, but as usual, there was no one._

_I found the end of the hall and slipped over the lip into darkness. My voice had fled and I could barely even breathe. My lungs were tight as I fell through the air until after a long time I crashed to another floor. My body flipped over itself three times before I was still._

_"My, my, that was quiet a fall."_

_Footsteps echoed around me, and I lifted my head groggily to see a pair of giant black boots right before my face._

_"So you refuse the tests tonight? You know better than that."_

_The boot crunched into my nose and my head jerked back._

_"Now will you follow me to the chambers?"_

_I shook my head. "I won't follow you, Silver Glove."_

_The voice, now recognisably a males', laughed. "It has been a long time since someone has called me by that name."_

_I saw a flash of his glove, studs lining the knuckle. They were stained with blood, and I remembered that he beat me and the others with it, earning him the suiting nickname._

_ But what was his real name?_

_The studs rapped against the top of my head, almost taking my consciousness. He hit me again. This time blood ran thickly down my forehead._

_"You will follow me now, or I will split open your skull, bitch!"_

_I tried to shake my head again, but instead I collapsed onto my side. Now I could see him. He wore an armoured vest with leather pulled over the top, and long tight brown pants tucked into the boots, but his face was shrouded in black. My memory still needed some healing._

_The beating continued. He punched me, kicked me, and then he dragged me along the ground and threw me into a bloodied wall. Again and again I cried and tried to strike back, but he had an iron grip and stopped me every time, whispering, "Let's not do anything rash. She wouldn't want you to get hurt."_

_"S-she?"_

_Who was he speaking of?_

I woke with a start and found myself face to face with Jo.

Burning red eyes bored back into mine, and I feared the dream was not over. I jerked back and flailed my arm until it caught the base of the sofa.

"You were whining and thrashing around," Jo said simply as she held up an armful of the blankets I must have kicked off.

"T-thanks," I said shakily, taking the blankets back and throwing them back over myself shakily. Why did she have to be so subtle?

She turned away without another word and sat in one of the booths where she had a little portable TV. I could see over she lip of the booth that she was watching some sort of horror film, and as a flash of blood spurted up from a dying man, I looked away and lay back to stare at the ceiling again. It reminded me of the cells.

In that dream I had mentioned a _she. _Who would that have been? The man, Silver Glove… he was one of those doing the experiments on me, but what was his status? I knew what it was. It was there, right beneath my skin. I just needed to dig, so I thought and thought until my head began to burn, then I had it.

Silver Glove was the boss of the dealers.

I almost cried out with happiness. Another piece of the puzzle as in place, and I thought back to that night with this new information, for it filled in more blanks.

I remembered him speaking to me in my cell. I had endured another test because I was bleeding from the mouth and nose and I could barely move at all. He said something… "Do not blame my brother?"

Okay, I had no idea about that, but he had to leave. Gunshots surrounded me and someone was killed. A hand with a cloth was wrapped around my face so I couldn't breathe in smoke, then everyone was gone accept for one.

I stopped before I could remember what I had done. I did not want to venture there.

A sudden knock at the door made me jump. Jo sat up from her place in the booth and paused the movie at the exact point that a vampire's tooth had penetrated the neck of a young girl.

The door was opened without a word, and a boy in his teens came in. He had short brown hair and rather wide matching eyes. He wore simple clothes, a blue striped work shirt and long black pants, however he had a cooking pron wrapped around his waist. He smiled at Jo.

"Hey Jo. The first up on a Saturday as usual, huh?"

She simply nodded and returned to her viewing.

The boy seemed used to this, for he went straight into the kitchen without looking fazed at all and started pulling things out of the fridge and pantry.

I sat up on the couch and stared at him from over the arm, waiting to introduce myself, but Jo seemed to suddenly remember I was there.

"Oh, Kyo, this is… Rachael, was it?" She turned to me with a bored look on her face and I was hurt on both accounts.

I nodded sadly. "Yeah, it's Rachael. Hi, Kyo."

He looked up at me from the fridge and smiled cheerily. "Oh, hello! I'm the cook here, from nine till five on weekends, and four till nine on weekdays!"

_He's like a walking self advertisement,_ I thought, but I was kind. "Okay, cool. So what do you cook?"

His head disappeared into the fridge again as he spoke. "Well, usually noodles, depending on whether they want something in particular, but in the morning it's the usual bacon, egg, and toast."

He spoke a little more about himself as he started to cook the morning dishes, adding an extra plate for me. I found that he wanted to be a pastry chef, he was still a student, he lived with his mother some way from here, he had a cat named 'Muffins'…

It got a little off subject.

He asked about my story, and I noticed Jo tense a little. I knew she didn't trust me, but did she think me a liar?

I explained everything I remembered and included what I had been told, and by the time my explanation was finished, Jo had finished eating and had disappeared into the hallway. I stared sadly after her once Kyo had finished listening intently to my story.

"Something wrong?" he asked as he noticed my abrupt silence.

I sighed. "Jo. She hate's my guts." Even though Sei had told me the previous night that the woman would come around, I could not help but doubt it in my heart of hearts.

"Don't worry about her," Kyo said kindly. "She barely knew I existed when I came here, but then when Meg was kidnapped by a giant crow I became Jo's prisoner. She was going to let me die, but I ended up saving her, then she asked more about me, and we became friends."

"But wouldn't she feel weak?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Not at all. She was really grateful, and she ended up saving both Meg _and _myself!"

It had been a while, but a smile appeared on my face. Maybe there was a chance after all.

Kyo looked nervous. "What are you thinking?" he asked worriedly.

I grinned even wider. "I'm thinking that I may have a chance at gaining her friendship."

*******

"Mission time!"

Was there a moment of the day when Amy was not on a high?

Jo stalked into the room, already prepared to go. She had changed into a slightly less revealing costume with gun holsters at the sides and the back. She gathered up her pistol and slid them into the sheaths. Noticing my long gaze, she stared back at me until I broke and turned away.

This was going to be hard.

Meg came jumping into the room with her usual brightness. She wore the same clothes, but with an extra. A giant cowboy's hat stood atop her head, and she cocked it at me humorously.

Amy scowled. "Do you really have to wear that outside? You're making _all _of us look bad!"

Meg poked her tongue out at the young girl. "Why would they think that someone like me would be associated with a little brat like you?" she asked smartly.

"Knock it off!" Sei entered with a towel wrapped around her hair and her pyjamas still hanging loosely on her. She unwrapped the towel as she spoke, her thick black hair falling around her face. "You're mission today is to locate a hijacked vehicle. The hijackers are apparently not very bright, but they are armed, so precautions must be taken. That's nothing that you can't handle though, right Jo?"

Jo simply shrugged. "I've dealt with idiots before. Shouldn't be a problem."

It was clear that Jo was the leader when it came to the missions, but she didn't look proud of excited. Actually, she looked bored and tired, as though she would had rathered be in bed. Did she treat every mission like this? The stories told by Meg and Amy made her sound as though fighting was the only thing she enjoyed doing.

Next Sei turned to me. "How did you sleep?" she asked.

"Better than usual," I lied.

"Do you feel well enough to go along with Jo and Meg then?"

This question caught me off guard, and I stared back at her like a mindless statue.

She didn't seem fazed. "I know it's sudden, but I think the sooner we can get you out there learning how to control yourself, the better. Only if you're up to it though, of course."

I did feel a little better after sleeping, but not well enough to participate in a fight. Nonetheless, I agreed to go. My planning had taken the entire morning to think of, after all. I turned to Kyo as Sei gave out orders for a rebellious Jo and Meg to follow, and he gave me a little wink. His help in the ideas would surely make this a successful mission of mine to befriend the hostile Jo, but then I began to wonder… Why was I so desperate to gain the woman's friendship?

A new path was infolding before me, and no matter what happened, I would walk it to escape the fresh wounds of the early past. I carried the weight of Satan with me, but I would not falter beneath it.

********

As we were dropped off at the starting point of the mission, my heart began to race. I could already feel the rushing flow of adrenaline, or was it fear? Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference.

Sei poked her head out of the windoe to give us her final word. "Good luck girls! I know you can handle this, and don't forget Jo, today you won't just be taking care of Meg. Rachael is you're responsibility as well. You too Meg. Both of you need to keep her safe."

Meg nodded, muttering, "Of course we will!"

Jo, however, didn't resond at all. She didn't even look at me, and my heart began to race. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Sei fixed her with a stare not even she could repel. "Jo? Do I have your word that you'll protect her?"

"Yeah, whatever," Jo muttered angrily. She turned her back on her friend and started to walk towards the next point without another word.

"Dammit," Sei growled. "That girl is such a loose cannon!"

Meg gave a little laugh as she watched Jo go. "Don't worry about it. She won't let anything happen to you," she assured me. "But then, if she does happen to get too engorsed with fighting rather than protecting, I won't."

Having to rely on Meg to save my life was not as soothing. I began to wonder if I should be more worried about coming out of this alive rather than successful with my own personal mission.

"Alright then," Sei said, realising that there was nothing more she could do. "You two had better get going if you want to catch up with her. Me and Amy will be keeping an eye on you on the computer, and call me if anything at all goes wrong."

"Gotcha!" Meg said enthusiastically as she held her phone into the air.

"Good. Well, I'll see you when you're done. Don't forget the mission details, and keep yourselves alive." With that said, Sei drove off in a puff of exhaust smoke.

"Alright! Let's get going!" Meg cried out, her hand punching through the air.

"You really get into this, don't you?" I pointed out, noting the vast difference between her and Jo.

Meg nodded and gave me a toothy grin. "I'm sure you'll get excited after your taste of battle too."

I seriously doubted that.

********

"Come on! Move it!"

Having Jo shout at you to move faster when you are running as fast as you possibly can is not a very easy thing to endure. She was three metres in front of me, shouting over her shoulder every now and then to diminish my determination further. My plan was beginning to catch fire before my eyes. Soon it would be a smouldering pit of flames.

Meg was beside Jo, ducking as gunshots sounded around her. As Jo shouted again, this time with curses, the brown haired girl pitied me and slowed down until she was beside me.

"You can do it!" she encouraged, and again I realised just how vast the differentiation was between her and her best friend Jo.

My body was wearing down the more I ran. It felt as though my energy level has been cut short because of Satan's effects, so I could only last mere minutes of running flat out before it turned into a jog. Already I could feel my feet slowing again and I knew that I could not last much longer.

"Meg, don't slow down for her! You'll get shot! She needs to speed herself up if she doesn't want to die!"

Meg stayed where she was. "She's weak, Jo! Her body isn't ready for this yet!"

"Than she shouldn't have come!" Jo screamed back.

It must had been the harshness of her words, for I upended that exact moment as my body said 'no more'. I hit the ground hard and stars appeared before my eyes as I lay sprawled out on the ground.

Somewhere above, through the constant bullets being shot, I heard someone shout, "She's down! Kill her!"

I though that it was all over then. In my stupidity of trying to win over the friendship of Jo, I had agreed to come on a mission that I was not ready for. As I waited for the shot that would finish me off, I chewed on the thought that it was my own fault I was going to die here. Sadly, I didn't find out whom that person was mentioned in my dream…

"Could you be anymore useless?"

I opened my eyes to find Jo racing to my side. She had an anxious Meg grasped tightly around the wrist as she scooped me up with one arm and slung me over her shoulder. My face slammed against her red jacket and I felt my nose start to bleed. It was the most terrifying experience to be hanging uselessly while people were targeting you to shoot. I was completely defenceless as I bounded on her shoulder.

We turned a corner and the gunfire began to die away. Then, abruptly, it stopped and I could hear footsteps directly above us. We seemed to be in a tunnel, and the shooters were racing along the roof.

After Jo had walked away at the starting point, Meg and I had to run after her, and we didn't stop running since. By the time we caught up with her she had entered the giant warehouse that housed the hijacked RAPT vehicles and the shooting had begun.

For the first time, I saw her dance. She dove through the air, spinning around as she targeted more enmies to shoot. Bullets flowed from her gun mercilessly and didn't ever stop of slow. A smile glanced across her face as she took out more and more tagets until finally, they were all gone.

As we entered to congradulate her on her performance, we heard a voice from above. "Well done, well done! What a wonderful mistake!"

Jo stared up as the shadowed man standing along the stairway. "Mistake? I don't think so."

The man laughed and clicked his fingers. "My pawns are gone, but here is the real assault." Around him, men rushed out of the shadows. They held heavy guns that were half their sizes, and we were on our feet moments before we could stop.

Now we were really in trouble.

"Sei! There are tonnes of the idiots in here! You didn't tell me there would be so many!" Jo was on her phone, screaming to her boss on the other end as she continued to lead me and Meg deeper into the darkening tunnel.

"Yeah, she's fine!" JO shouted again. Surely she did not mean me? Cause I was not fine at all!

The conversation continued for another moment before Jo growled and hung up.

"Now what?" Meg asked.

She didn't get a reply. Hurried footsteps came from before us now. They echoed down the tunnel and Jo slid to a stop. In her hurried action I slid from her shoulder. She didn't seem to notice, for she started to run in the opposite direction to avoid death.

I heard Meg scream to Jo, "Rachael's still down there!"

JO cursed and I herad her coming back. All I could manage to do was prop myself up a little and stare down to tyr and locate the pair of girls. They were invisible at that moment due to the darkness, but as my eyes began to adjust there was an explosion from behind me and the force flattened me to the ground.

Heat bit at my clothes and for a moment I thought I was fire. I thrashed around on the ground, patting at the flames that weren't even there when a footstep fell in front of me.

"Jo! You came back!" I gasped, tyring to get to my feet. A sharp punch to my ear left me on my butt again with my head spinning.

The voice that spoke was not Jo's. "Well, well, looks like they left one behind. What a pity."


	4. Angel's Protection

**Chapter Four: Angel's Protection**

"Um… Jo?"

"No, you stupid girl! My name is Crave, and you are now my prisoner!"

"But they wouldn't leave me behind like that!" I yelled, punching at him as I realised where he was standing through the darkness.

He kicked me sharply in the face to get me on my back again. "They did come back for you, but they were severely outnumbered by my second team. They had the choice of dying to try and save you, or turning back and leaving you here. They chose to live, so now you remain."

I already hated this Crave guy. I could see his teeth as he laughed out loud. He was loving this.

*******

"What the hell happened?"

"Sei, calm down! Is it really that much of a loss?"

Meg rounded on Jo, taking the opposite side for the first time. "How could you say that, Jo? Of course it's a loss! She's one of us now!"

Jo looked as though she had swallowed a thorn as her face went bright red with anger and her hand clutched for her throat as though it had tightened and she couldn't breathe. "One of us? _One of us_?!"

"She is, and the sooner you realise that the better!" Sei yelled this time. Her hand gripped the sofa chair beside her so tightly that her knuckle went white, but her face was deadly calm.

"An order, Sei? Careful where you step."

"It isn't an order, Jo. It's advice. You have to get used to her whether you like it or not because she is staying with us, got it?"

Invisible flames were sparking from the pair as they stared each other down. A single sound could set them off like a spark in a fire, and the inferno could very well be deadly. Jo was a fast aim with her gun, and she would shoot almost anyone down if her temper reached the point it was breaching.

To calm her down before there was blood, Meg gripped her shoulder bravely and squeezed it to relieve her nerves. "Jo, please go back for her. Do it for me, at the least."

Jo was not even listening to what Meg said. She was unable to understand the fact of this 'child' being let into their group. It had become her family over the years, and she didn't want anything to get in the tight circle. What gave Sei the right to make that happen? What gave her the right to open her arms to a stranger, and a dangerous stranger at that?

Sei's deep blue eyes were penetrating. They never left Jo, even when she took a seat in the sofa. Across from her, Amy looked terrified. It was the first time she had remained silent for over a minute, and everyone slowly began to realise this as she sobbed and whimpered.

Being protective and motherly when the time was needed, Meg crouched beside the young girl and pulled her into her arms. She whispered that it would be okay into her ear, but she shook her head.

"But what about her? What about Rachael? We can't just leave her!"

Jo sighed and threw her hands up into the air. "You as well?"

"Jo!" Sei shook her head in disbelief. "Look, it's you're choice if you go back for her or not. Neither of us can force you. All I ask is that you remember when you first came to this trailer and we began to bond together as a family. Think of how frightening it was, even for you, the tough bounty hunter. You wanted to be accepted, I could see it in you're eyes." She sighed and took in a deep breath before turning away as though to give Jo privacy. "Think about it before you decide."

It was the first time in a very long time that Sei had called them a family, and that alone hit Jo in the heart. The rest of it almost made her eyes water. She had not thought about it for years, but the pain of having to open up to others had brought in a flood of other emotions that she had never had to deal with before. This memory had images with it too. She could see herself standing in that doorway behind her, protectively close to Meg, but her own eyes begged for someone to be there beside her as she faced a new home that would hold a completely new family.

She made her decision then and there. It embarrassed her, made her feel weak, prodded at her heart and made her turn redder than before, so she didn't state it to the others. She simply loaded her guns and left the trailer.

Sei smiled after her and let out the breath she had been holding. "There she goes, off to save the girl… I'm proud of her."

Meg smiled across at the oldest member of the trailer and sighed. "She lost the argument. She won't let you forget that, you know."

Sei laughed before her face became serious again "I know. I wouldn't have it any other way."

******

My phone rang the first time without me even noticing. I was drifting off to sleep against a stone cold wall of cement, my head against my chest as my gruelling reality became too boring and bitter to remain in.

I had received the phone from Sei in the morning before the mission had begun. It was almost always on silent as to avoid getting us caught when the enemy had us in their clutches as was the situation I was in. I had forgotten this fact in my fear of the capture, of course, so it rang out in my pocket without my knowledge.

The second time the ringtone sung, I had my eyes open a crack and I saw my pocket light up. Of course, when you are drowsy from an overload of emotions and you are still half asleep, you tend to think that it is something absolutely unlikely, so I jumped out, crying out that my pocket was on fire.

Silence met my startled cried. Either my captors were all ignoring me, or they were too far away to hear me. When I discovered that it was my phone in my pocket and not mini inferno, I was glad that they cared so little or had such hard hearing. I flipped open the phone and pressed an ear to the receiving bars.

"Hello?" I said quietly into the device.

Sei's voice replied. "Rachael, thank god you're safe."

"Well, I'm not safe exactly, just lucky at the moment."

"What happened?"

I told her everything exactly from the point where they had taken me away from Jo and Meg. They pulled me down the halls from my hair, kicking me every now and then to hear me cry out. They were very cruel and heartless, and my swearing at their faces did not help my case much. They dumped me in this cell where chains were bolted around my wrists that were twisted tightly behind my back. Now my arms and hands were cramping and I was in tears from the pain as the shackles bit into my skin.

"How long have you been there?" Sei asked. She sounded very concerned, and I appreciated the fact.

"A few hours now," I explained. "I'm not entirely sure. There's no way of telling, and I've been falling asleep a lot."

"I see. Where are the thugs now?"

"In the next room," I explained, staring to the hall to my far left where I could see the faint light of the room they were all together in. Their laughter wafted down the hall and remained in my cell, so I was stuck listening to their arrogance as it echoes around in my head.

I explained a few more things to Sei to calm her down. I knew that she was scared for me, and her emotions shocked me a little due to the little time I had spent with her. Still though, I was flattered, and it gave me hope for becoming a good asset to the group. At least I had one friend so far. I wasn't entirely sure how the others saw me yet.

"Alright," she finally said, her voice holding less of a strain this time. "Jo is on her way right now. It shouldn't take her too long to get there. Just sit tight, okay?"

"Okay," I muttered quietly as I flipped the phone closed. I leaned back against the wall. How could this happen to me? It was my second day for crying out loud! What sort of luck was that?

My thoughts of anguish seemed to attract the thugs, for a pair of them came stumbling down the hall, laughing and punching each other drunkenly as they used everything they could find around them as support to keep themselves standing.

It took them a few moments to notice me once they stepped into the cell and headed towards the door. The slightly smart man stared at me for a good minute before he recognised me. "Hey, it's that girl!"

The other turned and nodded furiously, his face a mask of dumbfounded idiocy. "It _is _her! Woooow… you're a young one 'aint ya?"

I wished I could melt into the wall behind me as the men stared at me suspiciously. The malice in their eyes did not make me feel comfortable in their presence, and I started to fear that they would bring themselves upon me.

As the man whom was the first to spot me took a step forward, I got to my feet and pressed my back against the wall. "Hey, back off!" I growled, summoning some unknown courage that I didn't even know of myself. I balled my fists up and brought them forward to rest against my sides, making sure that the men could see them and realise that I was a threat.

They only laughed at me.

"Look at 'er, tryin' to scare us off, 'ey?" the closest replied stepping closer until he was only a metre away from me. He spread his arms out. "Come on then, hit me!"

As I stared at him I felt my mind seem to reel suddenly forward. My eyes became ore acute and all of the senses inside of me were growing until I could smell the sweat of the men. I could immediately recognise the shade of fear on the face of the second man, though he tried to hide it. I tensed as the one before me made a single movement, and as his hand reached out to me I moved with impossible speed that no human should possess.

"W-what?" Blood spurted out of the severed limb that was his arm. It was hanging by a thread as it bled so heavily it left a deep red pool on the floor. He was as pale was snow as she took a startled step back and fell down onto his back.

The man behind him ran, screaming out that I had turned onto a demon. I could not help but wonder if he was right. I couldn't control myself anymore. That attack held power I had not possessed before. I could feel it burning in the palms of my hands and reached up thought my arms until it hit my heart. It thundered in my chest and drove me to finish the soul before me whom pleaded like a dying child.

"Step away from him!" The man named Crave stepped out of the shadows towards me. Behind him at the end of the hall were the rest of the thugs. As they spied the bleeding man on the ground they all gasped with horror and stepped further back into the hall.

Crave swore as she saw his fallen thug comrade. "Damn it, Kent! What the hell happened?"

With a shaking hand, Kent pointed a finger at me. It shook so wildly he could have been pointing at anything before him, but he muttered out 'her… she's evil' before his eyes closed and his head fell back against the floor.

Crave lost it as Kent took his lat breath. Without a word he flung himself at me with his fist reaching for my face. Everything seemed to slow and I had a moment to stare into his face. To note the lines of anger that stretched across his face and the racked and broken teeth that clenched together and grinded. Almost as suddenly as it had come, my power fled me, and I was left with no amount of energy at all. My legs collapsed like sticks and I slid to the floor. The timing was brilliant, though, and Crave's fingers broke against the concrete wall.

He screamed and howled, kicking at the wall and examining his bleeding knuckles. By this point the thugs had decided to get the heck out of there, leaving me along with Crave. Only this time I had no hope of defending myself. All I could do was stare in fear at the man as he turned to me with a murderous fire in his eyes.

He pulled a hidden knife from the inside of his jacket and plunged it into my stomach before I could even react. I could barely feel the pain as the shock protected me like a shield. I could see the blood though. It spurted from me like a punctured orange. I felt suddenly weaker and felt myself beginning to tremble…

Then I saw it. An angel. A wingless angel…

Her wild white hair was a halo around her head as she slammed through the door leading out to the warehouse. There she stood, enshrouded in the shadows. I could see her eyes, crimson and burning, as they peered out through the darkness. She looked so calm and controlled, yet so strong and ready.

"W-who are you?" Crave cried out, reflecting my own thoughts.

The woman did not answer him. Instead she ran straight at him with a strong burst of energy. Her hands were shoved deep into her pockets, and from them she withdrew a pair of heavy silver pistols. She fired two shots into the thug's chest, and it was over in those mere seconds.

My vision was blurred by this point. I had used too much of my bodies strength in the sudden outburst of Satan, and my bleeding wound was not stopping. I collapsed completely onto my stomach with a strangled cry of fear and pain. Out of the corner of my eye the woman approached, and I shuffled away in fear. What sort of angel was this, emptying a pair of bullets into a man's chest so fast? I appreciated the fact, but the speed and confidence she held had rattled me. Weren't angels supposed to be graceful and calm?

I felt her hand wrap around my waist and I was heaved to my feet. She was so strong she didn't seem to have any trouble at all, but me on the other hand could not find any balance due to my faint state. I fell back, but she caught me tightly and let me rest on the ground. Her phone began to ring, and she answered swiftly.

"Yeah, I've got her Sei."

I couldn't believe it. "Jo?"

That was all I could manage as I fell unconscious in Jo's arms. In the arms of an angel.


	5. Hands of Healing

**Chapter Five : Hands of Healing**

I woke, but remained in a barely conscious state as Jo carried out of the building and rushed me into Sei's parked car. My head rolled to the side and through the blackening patches that obscured my vision I could see Sei calling for Jo to hurry.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Jo cried back. "She's not the lightest thing, you know!"

I was too out of it to really care when I heard this insult. I looked up at her face and saw it twisted with anger. It was truly an angel's face for sure, only she was different. She didn't seem pleased at all with the rescue mission she had been sent on, and I wanted to wail in an unknown sadness that swallowed me in its grasp.

I was thrown roughly into the backseat of the car. My weak body bounced up and down on the cushioned leather, making me feel nauseous for a moment. There was someone else there who yelled at Jo for being so rough. I recognised the voice as Meg's, and she began pressing rags against my stomach and muttering that it would be alright.

That, I did not believe. Blood was flooding down and dripping into the seat as it bled profusely from my wound. The pain was turning into agony the more the life seeped out of me.

"She's going pale!" Meg cried out to Sei and Meg.

I could barely see Jo turn to face me as the entire rim of my vision was fading into black, and Sei's eyes flashed to stare into mine in the rear view mirror. She looked so serious that I thought for a moment that she was furious that I had gotten myself hurt, but her expression had a hint of worry and I knew at that moment what it was like to have people who were actually concerned for my safety. Was this what it was like to have a family? If it was, it was a nice feeling… but it was frightening as well.

I was unaware of when the car stopped. The entire time Meg had kept we awake, telling me over and over again that things would be alright. At times I thought she was crying, but I couldn't tell. She wouldn't cry though, would she? I had only spent two days with them. Surely I was not worth crying over?

The car stopped and almost immediately the door at my feet was opened. Jo bent over me, her face surprisingly determined as she picked me up into those arms that were already familiar to me. Her hold was gentle, yet strong. I could feel the muscles in her arms tense as she lifted me, but she didn't hurt me at all. Her chest was rising and falling calmly, but it was forced. After seeing her in battle, I could not bring myself to believe that she was afraid of something like this. I could feel her warmth soothing me and I felt very tired.

"Hey!" Jo's voice was as sharp as a razor. "Keep your eyes open, kid!"

I followed her order as I was carried into the trailer, and I felt the memory of being in this experience here before, bleeding to death. The only difference was that I was dying in the dumps as a captive of the men who tested me. I could almost taste that metallic blood in my mouth as I coughed for all I was worth, struggling to find a reason to even bother to try.

The couch seemed to rise up beneath me and catch me in its embrace. I welcomed the comfort and started to close my eyes again, but this time Meg brought me back to my senses.

"No! You have to stay awake!" she cried out, and I opened my eyes to see her leaning over me with a stricken fear in her eyes. I wanted to tell her that I would be alright. Seeing such concern was not a good feeling anymore. I felt terrible, and I just wanted to calm her down more than then anything.

Sei and Jo were removing the blankets as Meg kept me talking. Amy had been sent off to bed, but Sei continued to check to make sure she was actually gone and not standing in the hall watching. A medical box was opened. I recognised that smell, but they realised that there was not a lot they could do without professional medical help.

"No…" I murmured with a failing voice. "No hospitals…"

"I'm sorry Rachael, but if you want to survive I'm afraid we are going to have to call an ambulance. It'll be okay, they will…"

Sei trailed off and stared down at my stomach.

"What's…?" I couldn't finish my own sentence. I could feel the power of Satan flowing through me like electricity through a cord. What on earth was happening? Why would it rear it's head now?

"I-is she healing!?" Meg cried out, pointing to my wound.

Jo took a close look at the hole in my abdomen before she turned to me suspiciously. "How are you doing that?" she asked simply.

"I don't-Arghh!" The feeling was almost unbearable as my body seemed to fill with an unstoppable flood of energy. It made my teeth rattle and my bones ache. My brain felt as though it was about to burst and I wanted to tell them, I screamed it to them, but no one heard me through the confusion. The light above me seemed to come closer towards me, stealing everything I could see. I screamed again, my hands gripping great chunks of the sofa in my hands as I rose my back in agony. Tears tickled the sides of my face and my heart pounded so fast I was sure that I would die like this.

It was over as soon as it had begun. In a second my arching back fell softly back into the sofa. All of my muscles relaxed and stilled, and my heart slowly followed. I felt as though I had just been plunged into a heated pool. The sweat I was drenched in made me want a bath more than anything, but first things first…

"What the hell was that?" Jo demanded, giving me a look that almost spelled 'I blame you'.

"Give her a break, Jo!" Sei demanded, resting a hand against my shoulder as I tensed. "Just lay back for a bit. I don't know what that was, but you look terrible."

"Actually, she looks like shit," Jo corrected, crossing her arms across her chest. "Even more reason to know what's going on with her."

Meg stepped in with a look of disbelief on her face. "You can't possibly think that she's a danger! She healed herself! It's a goddamn gift!"

I hated to make them all fight. Especially Jo and Meg when they were best friends, but I didn't have any power left to try to even twitch. All I could do was try to give them looks of guilt that would perhaps calm them down and let them know how crap they were making me feel.

Of course, when they are all young women with plenty to bring up from the past, that sort of plan never works.

Instead, I let myself drift off to sleep. I felt like I was flying this time, then I started to just drift in the air… then I was falling…

_"Bout time you showed your face again! I didn't know you could do something like that, but it doesn't matter! I'm going to finish you off for good!"_

_ I was kneeling on my knees before Silver Glove, but I knew I was not bowing down. A long, trailing wound ran down my back and the blood was pooling around me on the ground._

_ "By the way, the way you treated my brother Badge back there… You know, left him there to die? You will pay for that, little one, you mark my words!"_

I woke with a start before Silver Glove could deliver the blow. It took me some time to realise I was in the real world, if it was real at all. Maybe reality was in that cell with that enraged man, destined to have the hell beaten out of me…

"Your awake. That's good to see."

I opened my eyes to see Sei's deep blue irises staring into mine. She wore a slight grin on her face as she sat beside me on her bed.

I was startled and sat right up. "T-this is your bed! I'm sorry!"

She laughed and pushed me back down lightly. "It's alright," she assured me. "You looked like you needed a bit more comfort than that couch."

I sighed. The bed was comfortable, but still. Did she really have to be this kind? I appreciated it, of course, but the acceptance she gave me didn't feel right. I felt as though I didn't deserve it… Hmm… maybe I didn't.

She spoke a little to me about my amazing ability to heal. It wasn't really a very long conversation when she realised I didn't know that I was capable of such a thing, and she didn't want to pry when I was so weak. She left the room to let me rest, and I took the chance to reflect on the dream I had.

I had worked out some things. Silver Glove was the boss as he said that Badge was his brother, but the boss's real name? I never found out. I survived on the scraps of information that leaked out like the leftover food I was left, and the captors were very careful with what they said around the experiments, so I learnt very little.

Also, I had done something that had surprised him. My power of Satan, perhaps? Surely he would know that it left me with some power, right? Or did he have no idea of what it was doing to us? Wait… was there an us? Maybe I was the only one…

I struggled to sit up as I let all of this process. Had anyone else survived? What about that girl, the one he mentioned in the earlier dream. What if-

Red hot pain clawed up my back and I had to bite into my knuckle to stop myself from crying out. The pain though, it was almost unbearable. I slammed a fist into the sheets of the bed, waiting for it to subside like a cramp, and thankfully a moment later, it did.

"Wow…" I muttered, breathing down into my lap. "That was…" I pressed a hand to my back and pulled it in front of me to see fresh red blood running down my fingers. "Unbelievable."

I couldn't let the others see me in such a state, so I concentrated all of my thoughts onto the cut on my back. True, I do not know how I healed myself before, but surely if I concentrated I could summon up the power again. I had done it before, after all, when I fought Badge down in the cells.

Sure enough, I could feel the warm power flowing from my fingertips, to my back where it slid up and down my spine. It tickled a little, but I darned not scratch it away. It circled my entire back with a strong wave that pushed me forward, before it suppressed and finally faded away.

Now I had something more to think about, and it topped the list. How had I become injured in the same way as I had in the dream? That wasn't possible, right? But it had felt so real. The pain, the smells, the look in its eye… it had seemed to pierce through my soul like a spear. I bit my lips. Something was going on here. My dreams seemed to be real, giving him the opportunity to hurt me. It would make sense, I guess. Wherever he was, he obviously couldn't show his face where he could be recognised by hundreds. I was not sure where he was exactly. Maybe in jail after all? It didn't matter. Either way, he could hurt me without me defending myself.

Maybe it was time to start sleeping with club in my hands…

I remained in the bedroom for the better part of the day, trying to work out what I was going to do. What could I do, really? I had always heard that you were the master of your dreams, but if that's the case, why can't I strike back at this guy? It was frustrating. So much so that I didn't even realise as Sei entered the room with my dinner.

"I thought you might be hungry," she said as she approached. As she rested the bowel of fried rice before me her eyes swept over me completely as though she suspected that something had happened to me whilst I was in here.

I smiled to reassure her. "I'm fine," I said, answering her unvoiced question.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost or something," she said curiously. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm alright, I swear it. I just had a bit of a dream, that's all."

"Okay… but if you're so sure, than explain to me why there is blood on my bed."

I jumped in surprise and rested a hand subconsciously over the crimson droplets. "My stomach was, uh, not as healed as I thought, so, uh…"

"I checked the wound thoroughly and there isn't even a scar left. Rachael… what's going on?"

I was trapped, so I told her everything. Part of it just came spilling out, but I fought to fight some back. Either way, it all came out, and I realised just how much of a release it was. I actually enjoyed talking to her about it, and I couldn't help but wonder why she sat and listened so intently.

"I see," was all she said once I had finished.

I waited for another reply but none followed, so I asked her a question. "Why do you care so much about what happens to me?" I didn't come out quiet right and I wanted to take it all back once I had said it.

Sei looked content with the question, though, and she made herself comfortable before answering me. "I know that you have a hard time believing that people can really have a place in their harts for you, Rachael, and no one can blame you for that at all. However, it would help to start believing now, because what you've told me sounds like something that you can't handle on your own."

She was right, and I wanted to hit myself for not realising earlier. Of course this was too much to handle without anyone else, but as for the fact of being in someone's heart… that was a little harder to grasp.

She could see it in my eyes, and before I had a chance to react she pulled herself closer and looked right into my eyes. It was a gaze I dared not break under her stern look, but I could feel that she was tyring to be gentle.

"Don't think that we would ever leave you alone with something like this. You are a part of our group now, so we will protect you and help you whenever you need it. What happened before in the mission won't happen again, I swear it." She turned away for a moment. "It was my fault, what happened back there. I apologise for that, but you need to move forward and concentrate on the problem at hand, because were here for you, so you don't have to be on your own any longer."

Although she had finished speaking, I could not pull my eyes away from her. What she had said had affected me so deeply that I had completely changed my way of thinking. I wouldn't face things alone anymore, and nor would I question their unexpected treatment of me. Now I understood the fear and pain in their eyes when I had become injured.

"You are a family, aren't you?" I asked with a weak smile on my face.

"_We _are a family," Sei corrected simply. "And we never leave each other out in the cold."

I threw myself into her arms, catching her off guard this time. I began to cry as everything weighed down on my heart and became too much to take. I had someone, though. No, an entire family to count on now, so it wasn't as terrifying as it seemed. The real reason I was crying was because her words that night left me feeling something I hadn't in a long time.

_Acceptance._


	6. Meeting with Fate

**Chapter Six: Meeting with Fate**

Does it ever seem that life is telling you something? Do odd events sometimes occur in a continuous sequence and you find yourself thinking, "Well that was freaking weird!" I believe that sometimes a greater force is showing you a path to take, and it's up to you to notice this and walk that path.

That was how I felt as I faced the sky with a new determination.

It was time to act.

There I stood on the top of the trailer, staring out to the world that had been a living hell for me only days before, but then I had been found and giving this opportunity to make something of the time I had left. The sun seemed to beam down upon me and I welcomed it's warm hands as they tightened around me. This was the real world, full of harmony and peace.

I heard a soft clanging and took a startled step back. It took me a moment to realise that it was only Jo climbing up to her favourite place where she could relax in peace.

I saw her hand clutched around the side of her little TV as it appeared over the edge. She pushed it over the side and slid it across the metal of the roof as she herself followed. I froze as I realised I was in her space, and her crimson eyes stared into mine as soon as she could see me.

"S-sorry!" I mumbled, approaching the attached ladder as she pulled herself up. I started to climb down the rungs but her arm reached out and grasped mine.

"It's fine," she said, pulling me back a little forcefully. "I wanted to talk to you anyway."

"O-okay."

We both sat in front of her TV, trying to get comfortable beside each other. It seemed she as was uneasy around me as I was of her, but I doubted her reason was dread as mine was. She didn't seem to feel fear in any shape or form.

She slid in a DVD that had a rather bloody death scene printed on the cover. She was silent as the movie began, and I found myself too worried to ask what she wanted to talk about. Thankfully, the beginning of the feature seemed to bore her and she took this moment to speak.

"Sei told all of us what happened with you're dreams… and she filled me in personally too."

I wanted to hunt Sei down for a moment, thinking that she had annoyed Jo. "Personally?"

Jo nodded and crossed her arms over her knees. "She was filling me in about what those guys did to you with the drugs, and what it's done to you mentally as well. She seems to think that I haven't been making you feel like you actually belong with us…"

I couldn't think of anything to say, purely because I agreed but didn't have the guts to say so.

She sighed and lowered her head. "I agree with her."

Okay, okay, that was _definitely _a shock.

"Look, I'm not very good at things like this, alright. What I wanted to say was-"

"You're welcome."

She smiled. "Thanks," she muttered, turning back to her movie as blood splattered across the screen. "No hard feelings, right?"

I beamed at my new friend, glad for the change. "Of course."

******

"Alright, first things first… We know that there is no normality in being physically attacked in dreams, so there is no point in asking for a dream specialist. However, I did a lot of searching last night-"

"Hey, _I'm _the one who did all the searching!" Amy was certainly quick to correct Sei these days.

Sei pat the young girl on the head to calm her. "Sorry, Amy. Yes, our youngest member here did all of the searching, and we managed to find someone who is very willing to help you understand how to fight back in those nightmares of yours."

I almost jumped with joy as the speed things were going. "Who?" I gasped excitedly.

"Another who had to endure the experiments."

This time I almost fainted. Jo had to rush up behind me and ease me onto the couch. It seemed I was spending most of my time on that thing.

"Sorry, I didn't know you would react so strongly," Sei admitted as she sat beside me.

"Keep going," I begged, turning to her despite how weak I felt. "I want to know their name, where they went, how they survived, everything!"

It turned out it was a young man named Damen whom had escaped through all of the confusion with his sister, Anelyn. They were both living in an alley with two others who were helping them to recover from the effects, but despite their shielded state from strangers, they were ready to offer their help to me.

"Damen and Anelyn…" I echoed, sounding out the names. "I don't remember hearing anything about Damen, but Anelyn… she seems familiar…"

All eyes stared at me as I delved into my damaged memories to try and extract that name. It made me feel warm, welcome, and I wanted to say it again. I wanted to scream it to the world. She was… Who was she?

_She wouldn't want you to get hurt._

The words that Silver Glove had spoken in my first dream. I almost shuddered as his icy voice flowed through my mind. Was 'she' Anelyn? Why would she be concerned? Maybe she was…

"Was she a friend?"

I looked up as Meg finished my train of thought and nodded. "I think so. I mean, when I think about it, it feel, well… right somehow."

"But you don't remember anything else?"

I sighed. "No. It's frustrating, too. It feels like I'm close to the truth about a lot of things, but there are so many to work out."

"Then tell us all of the details," Sei asked, sitting across from me now and slapping a blank sheet of paper before me. "Tell me about the cells, everyone you know about there, what happened, and anything else that seems important that you actually remember for sure."

I began spilling everything out, and Sei wrote it all down, separating each fact. Everyone watched us as we worked through the confusing memories I held that were being jotted down before me.

Once we were finished, we had the following written before us:

_Cells located beneath North Jazz Railway._

_Experiments included drugging through multiple injections, amount depending on the strength of the person. Drugged then shoved into tubes connected to wires and monitors as they endure hallucinations._

_Results recorded nightly, whether drugged or left in cell._

_Rations given morning and night daily._

_After effects of drugs including lasting hallucinations, fainting, blood nose, coughing up blood, vomiting, general sickness, nightmares._

_No friends remembered._

_Leader nicknamed Silver Glove. Real name unknown._

_Brother of Silver Glove is Badge._

"Apart from the rescue that night that we all know about, that's all I remember," I told them.

Sei rubbed her chin as she inspected the list of facts. "Nothing really new here, but at least we won't forget any of this now and it's something to work with."

Jo poked a finger down on the bottom listed fact. "Badge is the guy you killed, right?" she asked a little bluntly.

I felt a pang of guilt bite me and lowered my head.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you remember something like that," she said, sitting up straight and facing the list again. "At least now we can concentrate on everything around this basic outline."

"Well this will have to do. I don't want to force you to remember things because I don't think your mind is strong enough at the moment," Sei explained as she folded up the paper. "We might as well head down and speak to Damen and Anelyn about your effects of Satan and see what they have to say about the dreams."

******

We headed down the road in Sei's glamorous car with high hopes. I could barely contain my excitement as I stared out of the window with my heart pounding in my chest.

"If you keep your head that close you'll eventually fall out, you know," Jo said, pulling me away from the window. "Just relax and wait. We're almost there."

I tried to sit still, but found myself fidgeting. I was trying to think of what I would say to this guy. 'Hiya. So you were screwed up by the drugs too, huh? What a world we live in.' No way… Have to think of something a little more formal.

Meg and Amy had not been happy with being left to guard the trailer, but they had Kyo there to keep them happy with meals. Still, Meg called me during the trip and sounded quiet high strung.

"Are you there yet? Where abouts are you?"

"Umm… there's a lot of trees…"

"That doesn't help! Ask Sei!"

Being the driver, Sei didn't enjoy distractions and asked me to activate the loudspeaker. Jo groaned as she had to hear the all too familiar voice of Amy as she took over the phone.

"Hiya guys! I'm on loudspeaker, right?"

"My headache just rose about five levels, so what does that tell you?" Jo responded as she clutched her aching head.

"Stop picking on me! I can't help it if I have a natural and beautiful voice," she said in a singing tone.

Jo almost burst out laughing which was an odd sight. "Don't you mean shrill and ear piercing?" she corrected.

"I'm going now! You're being mean!"

Meg took over again, sounding out of breath from the battle for the phone. "Okay, I'm back, so… are you there yet?"

I groaned and considered hanging up, but thankfully the conversation had occupied us all of the way to our destination. Sei rolled the car up to the edge of a dank looking alley and declared that we had arrived.

"Well about time!" Meg gasped. "You think I like having to ask every minute where in all of Japan you are?"

"You know what, I think you do like hearing your voice," Jo pointed out, hanging up before Meg could retaliate.

We left the car and stared down into the loneliest alley I had ever seen. It brought back some memories of the cells. I could almost picture the rusted doors swinging against the bricks as another subject was pulled out against their will.

"Rachael? Are you alright?"

I found myself shaking against the wall, staring ahead with a sweaty face. I wiped it away and gave Sei a weak nod. "Yeah, just a bit of a memory I'd rather not deal with."

"Come on, it's just ahead. It'll be alright."

I took some shaky steps beside Jo as Sei took the lead. As I saw her out of the corner of my eye, I caught those angelic features again and suddenly wanted to grip her hand for the warm feeling of safety. Instead, I just took a closer step towards her and took in a deep breath. This was going to be hard.

"Here we are." Sei had stopped at the very end of the alley where a filthy brown cloth hung over the bricks.

I stared at the cloth, wondering why on earth we were stopping at a dead end, but a draft of wind caught the edge of the cloth and lifted it to reveal that the bricks had been knocked out to open into a room.

With another breath of strength, I stepped into the room.

It was almost all stone and brick, giving it a doomed feeling. A bright orange light bounced off of everything, giving it a much needed glow. The lanterns flickered, but the light remained dominant and I stood in it, away from the shadows.

"I'm glad you came. I was starting to fear that you might have turned your attention to someone else."

A boy of about my age, maybe a little older, stepped out of a hallway I had not even noticed. He had a wave of hair that fell neatly about his shoulders. He had pushed it back in a tiny pony tail, though it spiked out at the ends, giving it a rebellious edge. He had the look of a rebel too, in his eyes. They were a piercing blue that judged, however it felt gentle and inviting as well. He held out a heavily ringed hand and shook mine firmly.

"Damen," he said simply. "And you must be Rachael."

I tried not to stare at his biker leather clothes that made me wonder if this was really him. "Yeah. That's me."

Damen was very welcoming as he started to offer us baked bread and cheese that he his sister had purchased that morning. His loose jacket and pants made me wonder whether 'purchased' was the right word, but he seemed like an honest boy.

"Your sister, Anelyn," Sei began as she took a seat in a rickety chair. "Rachael may know her from the cells. Her memory is very hazy, but she seems to be affected emotionally by the name."

This struck Damen. His eyes stared into mine for a moment before he answered. "I see. She will be down in a few moments. I am sure that she would remember you if you did in fact know each other, but I am afraid that I seriously doubt it."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Because I don't remember you at all, and I remember every little detail about what happened back there in those cold, cramped cells."

I don't know why I lost it exactly. He was lying, that was for sure, but before I could stop myself I was on my feet. "There's no way! The drugs effect our memory! Why would you lie about that?"

Although he knew I had gone too far, he gave me a smile and didn't sound irritated as he answered. "The affects of Satan are different for everyone. We all have the nightmares, but there are other skills that follow and they differ with us all. I was blessed with a perfect memory, and I don't mean with just the cells. I mean, with everything. I can remember every second of my child hood as though it were yesterday."

We all stared at him in disbelief.

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder as Jo settled me back down. I realised at that moment that I had lashed out at him like a monster.

"I'm sorry about that," I muttered. "I guess, seeing as you're my only hope to the answers I need I got a little restless when I thought that you were a fake."

The word 'fake' struck him a little for his eyes narrowed for a second, but then he was peaceful again and gave me a low bow. "I can understand the hurt of betrayal. You see, me and my sister were given up by our parents to the monsters that poisoned our veins with Satan. We were apparently not well behaved enough for them, though I can only make wild guesses at what we actually did wrong at any point of our lives with them."

Now I felt even worse. "I see… I'm sorry."

He held up a hand. "Do not apologise for something you need not atone for. It is them who should be begging for forgiveness at our feet. I, of course, would not care for whatever excuse they had… but none of this has anything with why you are here. Forgive me for straying. I tend to enjoy idle conversation now that I am, as some would say, a 'free man'."

"It's fine. I found myself in the same situation too, though I was more desperate to find people I could trust." My eyes flickered to Sei, and as I had expected there was a warm smile waiting on her face.

Damen gave another formal bow. "And good company you have found. You must be very proud to have your new friends."

"I am."

"Than you are very fortunate indeed."

"Damen? Is that you down there?"

From atop the stairs we saw the form of a young girl hidden in the shadows. I craned my neck to try and see her better, but she shrunk shyly back.

"Well who else would it be, Anelyn? Our beloved carers have left us to ourselves for the time being to discuss the situation with these young ladies here. Are you coming to join us?"

"Oh… yes, of course." Anelyn seemed quiet nervous as she slipped down the stairs slowly, taking every step with extreme caution as though she were afraid of falling at any moment. Her eyes danced over our group briefly, and settled on me. There they lingered, and I was sure that for a moment a hint of recognition rattled her tense expression.

The young woman wore similar clothes to her brother, a little dirty and worn, but somehow very suiting. It was a simple dress shirt that ended at her knees with the deepest caramel brown, lined with golden patterned stitching. Her pants were better worn on a boy, but I could relate well. I smile as she held them with pride, lifting them above damper places on the floor as she approached.

"Hello, Anelyn," I said slowly, hoping she would recognise more with my voice.

Again I saw that look in her eyes. They stared into mine so deeply I thought that she could be probing me, and then a moment later she turned to her brother and refused to face me again, even as she returned the greeting.

"Hello…"

There was an awkward silence in the room as she took a desperate step towards her brother and gripped his arm.

"I apolagise," he said, stroking her hair lovingly as she rested her head against his shoulder for comfort. "She has trouble dealing with this world without remembering the past, therefore she does not let people in often." He looked down at her face with a soft smile of encouragement. "As you can see though, she does not seem to remember you at all."

I did not enjoy the blunt way he put it. "Maybe we just need to give it time," I suggested with a bit of a bite in my voice. Just because he was giving me answers didn't mean I had to like him, right?

Apparently not. He took no notice and simply went on. "I do not think so. I believe it is a wasted effort to try and get her to remember a friendship that never existed. I am sorry, but I am certain you two never met, and as I explained, my memory does not fail me at all."

I let out an agitated sigh and lean back in the seat, staring at Anelyn. I knew that she remembered me. She could feel it like I did. A shadow of the past that we were together in.

"What's Anelyn's power?" I asked.

Damen locked my gaze into his firm stare. "She has the ability to heal, and also the ability to fight back in her dreams."

"Healing huh, and… wait, what?" I jumped forward and gave the young man my full attention. Beside me I could almost sense the intrigue in my two friends as well.

"That's right," Damen said, taking his own seat and allowing Anelyn to rest on his lap like a child. "As I was going to explain, the dreams are more a reality than you think. You feel it all, don't you? The pain, the emotion? That is because the dreams are a realm in which Silver Glove can attack you and snuff out our numbers one by one without us even realising he can do it."

I stared at him and blinked a few times. "Okay, slower…"

He stared to explain again. "Silver Glove must have injected himself with Satan as well at some point. I never learnt if this was true of even what his real name is. I barely know a thing about the man, probably no more than you, however he too has powers like us. His power is entering our dreams and attacking us. Already we are dying of wounds that have been inflicted in these nightmares, and there is no trace for the plice to follow. They blame it on the drug and leave it like that. If something isn't done, we will all be dead and he will get away with everything…"

The passion in Damen's voice was the same as what I felt in my heart. I took a deep breath and stared at my shaking hands. "Everytime I sleep, I could be killed because of that madman. But… why would he give himself the drug if he had us to use as guinea pigs?"

This I am unsure of. I had a theory that perhaps he is using a different type that he knows is harmless, or maybe he was simply trying to learn something different from us, such as how long we could last. I somehow doubt he would intentionally put himself through our pain. He wouldn't bother… Therefore there is a way he is avoiding it."

"Well we won't know until we find him," I said sadly. "Guess I only have a few days to kill him."

"Why's that?"

"Well you can only last a few days without sleep, right?"

Jo stared at me in disbelief. "You aren't going to sleep at all?"

"How can I if I could get ripped to shreds as soon as I shut my eyes?"

Damen cleared his throat, seeming to get the feeling that things were going to get heated. "There is a way to block yourself from him when you sleep."

"Really? How?"

He placed his hands on his sisters shoulders and said softly to her, "Show them."

With a faint nod, Anelyn managed to keep her eyes connected with mine and started to explain. "Before you sleep you must conjure up a barrier in your mind. This is possible by tapping into the Satan that runs inside of you."

"Tapping into it?" I echoed. That sounded like using a needle, and I did not do well with needles.

"That's right. Just put all of your concentration onto Satan and _feel _its power flowing. You would have when you used your power before. You too have healed yourself, right?"

"T-that's right, but how…?"

"I can feel the residue of the power on you. You see, when you use Satan to your advantage like healing or scrying of whatever you have done, it leaves a certain _presence _on you. I can sense it because I have acute senses to it now. Another affect of the drug…" Everytime she stopped speaking her eyes eould shy away from me, as would her body language, and I was growing frustrated.

"So how exactly do I do this barrier thing? I mean, I only felt Satan when I was using it to heal, but that's it. I need to actually use it in order to feel it, or I don't even know it's there."

She shook her head. "Wrong. If you try your hardest to realise that it is there, and accept it, you will feel it's burn as it pulses through you. Keep your concentration on this and you will fall into a dreamless sleep. It is more like a state of unconsciousness really, but you will be unharmed and will wake the nest day if not a little later than usual with some grogginess."

"Sounds like drugging yourself out," I muttered, trying to picture it in my head.

"In a way, it is," she said with some regret in her voice. "It is an act of summoning the power up and letting it consume you until your body can't take it and makes you fall into a comatose sleep. I know it may seem a little dangerous, but it is not as bad as having Silver Glove attack you in your dreams."

Well that was true.

"Alright, I'll try it. Thank you."

******

We spent the night under the roof of the siblings. I slept in Anelyn's bed after she had kindly offered it to me. Of course I felt a little weird and refused, but then she looked a little shy and told me that she didn't often sleep and she had a feeling that it would be one of those long nights.

As I lay amongst the sheets I concentrated on everything I noticed about my surroundings. The smell, like fresh flowers, the soft pillow beneath my head that swallowed me up, the border on the wall above me, full of unicorns as though it had been kept from her childhood past… but I still could not remember entirely who she was.

Frustrated, I found myself unable to sleep. I left the room, shutting the door lightly as not to wake Jo and Sei whom were asleep in the spare room. They had not wanted to stay at all, but after a look through the house which was surprisingly homey and warm, she called Meg and told her that she was in charge for the night.

It didn't go down well, but eventually she gave in.

I had already memorised where everything was and I headed into the small garer at the back easily. It was no more than a few pot plants sitting in no order on the paved ground. It sloped up to a little metal table where Anelyn sat, leaning back and looking up at the night sky with a faraway look on her face.

I approached and opened my mouth to ask if she needed company, but I froze when I realised that there was a voice coming from behind her. N the shadows stood Damen, muttering something with his eyes closed. I dove behind one of the larger pot plants, not really sure why I was being so careful. I guess it was something to do with the distant look in Anelyn's eyes. It was as though she wasn't really there at all.

"You will ignore her no matter what memories she does awaken in you. You will avoid her when you can. I am your brother. You will come to me whenever she is near. You are afraid of her… Do not approach her at all costs."

I almost cried out in surprise. He was talking about me, I was sure of it. I wanted to take him out then and there. I felt a rumble in my chest as my power roared for his blood as well, but I stayed hidden.

So that was it. He was hypnotising her so that she wouldn't remember me. That mean't that there was something that had happened in the past with both of us. We must have been friends, but why would he have a problem with that?

There were too many questions in my mind and I was suddenly very tired. I knew how to protect myself from the dreams now, and I suppose it was my chance to try it out now. Despite what I had learnt that night and the problem it brought up, I was exhausted from the power I had begun to awaken.

Slowly and cautiously I started to slink away towards the house again.

Then I heard Damen's voice.

"Who's there?"

_Crap!!!_


	7. Forgotten Memories

**Chapter Seven: Forgotten Memories**

I had nowhere to run or hide as I sat hidden behind the sprouting plant. Its thin edged leaves tickled my face and I had to duck away further to muffle a sneeze in the palm of my hand.

"What is it, brother?" Anelyn asked, standing beside him and peering into the darkness.

Damen pushed her back into the chair a little forcefully. "Just wait here!"

"O-okay…" she muttered, her hands shaking as she rested them on her knees.

I swore to the ground. He meant business. The look of frustration on his face left no room for fear. I backed further into the shadows behind me until I was resting against a black pot.

_Damn it, no where else to go, _I thought miserably as he started towards my location with his fists balled at his sides.

_This is it! He's going to smash me! I'm dead, I'm dead!_

Thankfully, someone appeared at the foot of the hill, their thick black hair no longer restricted by the blue ribbon.

"Oh, it's you Damen. I thought I heard someone up here."

"Sei…" I gasped to myself n relief.

Damen looked her up and down. "I thought you were asleep," he said in a strained voice. "Are the beds in the spare room not to your liking?"

Sei didn't look particularly happy with the way he was speaking to her, but she bit back an insult. "No, the beds are fine, thank you. I just woke up after a strange dream and felt that I needed some air."

"I see," Damen muttered, turning to Anelyn. "We were just heading back down to try and get some more sleep. You can stay up here for as long as you like."

Sei didn't protest, and he disappeared back into the house with his groggy sister without another word.

As the door clicked shut, Sei immediately looked to my hiding place. "Come on, you can come out now."

I dragged my weary body out from the shadows and started to brush the leaves and dirt off of myself. "Sorry Sei. I didn't know that he was up here, but I saw him saying something to Anelyn, and her eyes went blank!"

"Hypnotising," Sei muttered sadly. "That poor girl doesn't stand a chance in the clutches of his mind."

"What?"

Sei sat down on one of the chairs at the small table and motioned for me to join her.

"I did wake after a dream," she explained, laying her hands upon the table. "However, I did not come up here to get some air as I said. I came up here to see if it was true."

"If what was true?" I asked, leaning forward to hear her better as she whispered to avoid being heard by listening ears.

"I wandered through the house for some time when I awoke," she said, sounding a little guilty. "I knew that he was not to be trusted as soon as I saw the look he gave you when you stepped foot into this home, so I felt that a little bit of snooping was in order."

"Fair enough," I admitted. "What did you find?"

She sighed. "Something that you won't be too pleased with I'm afraid. He seems to have a problem with 'over protection' because of the effects of Satan. It seems that whoever comes near him and Anelyn are a threat and he does what he can to get rid of them. Those people whom let them stay here… I think he got them thrown into jail."

"Jail?"

"Yeah. He told the police that they were hurting Anelyn and he beat her himself to give her bruises for evidence. I'm not sure that he has gone to those lengths again, but it looks like he's after you now. The entire reason he brought you over here was because Anelyn could remember you and she wanted to see you. He is using his power of hypnotising to stop her from speaking to you or anything else that he sees is dangerous."

"Wait, wait, wait!" I gasped, trying to understand all of it. "So she remembers me?"

"Yes, she does."

"How did you figure all of this out?" I asked desperately.

Sei pulled a notebook from the inner pocket of her jacket and placed it in front of me. "Anelyn has written everything down in here. Damen doesn't know anything of it, and that I am sure of because left it for me purposely."

"How do you know that?" I asked, my fingers trembling on the cover of the little book.

"It was left beside my pillow when I awoke. Damen must hypnotise her regularly and she knew he would do it tonight."

I sighed as I stared down at the pages that were unfolding before me. The girl's words were scribbled as though she had no choice but to write in a hurry.

"She must be so scared here," I said sadly. I realised that my eyes were wet and I wiped them shamelessly.

Sei laid a hand on my shoulder. "Well now is our chance to get her out of here," she said, standing up from her seat. "We must be fast though. I think Damen suspects something."

"Right."

******

The house was quiet. Almost silent, in fact. Our feet glided over the floor silently as we peered around every corner. Not a single light shone, and nor did a single breath meet our ears. It was as though everything in the house was dead.

"Jo…" I heard Sei mutter fearfully as she headed down the hall way. "I can't hear her snoring."

I found it hard to believe that the woman snored, and the thought was almost laughable. Luckily this was no time to laugh and I managed to hold it back.

We reached the spare room, and sure enough Jo was no longer there. Sei didn't panic though, for beside the empty bed once occupied by her friend there was no longer a gun holster.

"Good to know she's armed," Sei said gladly, heading towards the next room. "Hopefully she'll put a bullet in that bastard before he tries anything."

A shiver slivered up my spine. "Do you think he'll try and kill me?" I asked bluntly.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Neither me nor Jo will let it happen though."

Room after room was empty. Everytime we entered through a new door my heart would begin slamming against my ribcage as though it wanted to escape. Luckily, though, my power seemed to want no part in my emotions this time and rested deep within me silently.

Finally we reached the only room that remained: The laundry.

"You have to be kidding me," Sei muttered, placing her hand to the door. "Of all of the places…"

I took a step back as she slowly opened it up, only to have a gun pointed directly at her forehead.

"Oh… hello, Jo."

Jo's face went bright red and she lowered her gun. "Sorry. It's not like you to just come in like that," she said.

Sei smiled. "It's not like you to hide, especially not in a place where you have no expertise."

"Well I wasn't exactly planning on doing any washing."

I stared around the house, no longer feeling fear, but curiosity. "Where are they then?" I asked, already heading down the hall.

Jo followed right after. "I don't know. They must have left the house. That guy though… he's a real psycho."

"What do you mean?" Sei asked, turning to her with a surprised look. "It's not like you to be afraid of a kid."

Jo went another shade of red. "I didn't say I was afraid of him…"

We headed out into the night air juts in time to see a car roar past us. In the back window I could see a look of sheer printed on the pale face of Anelyn.

"Damn…" I whispered. Clenching my fists.

"Get in the car!" Sei roared, rushing into her glimmering red treasure.

I slipped into the back and stared down at my hands. They were beginning to burn now. Satan was rearing his head, stirring inside of me.

"His power," I hear Jo being from the front of the car. "It's amazing. He can move things around, like locks and doors. It was like being in a haunted house. He would stare at a door, then he would screw his face up and it would shut so quietly that half the time I didn't notice."

"Interesting," Sei said calmly from the front seat as she drove through red lights, speeding after the getaway car.

"Umm, you are concentrating on driving, right?" I asked shakily as I was battered around in the back seat.

The car swerved around corners like a beast that had been released from its chains. The horn roared as safer drivers drove at the speed limit in front of the monster car.

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die," I whispered to myself, clutching my knees to my chest. "This is it, we're going to crash and we're all going to die in this car!"

"Rachael!" Jo yelled as she turned to face me. "We are not going to die! We are going to catch that little psycho punk and put a bullet in him!"

"No we're not!" Sei objected as she rounded another head spinning corner. "Anelyn doesn't deserve that. We're going to try and get him the help he needs, and then…"

"Take Anelyn with us?" I asked hopefully.

Sei frowned. "I'm not sure yet. Let's just wait and see how things turn out."

We found the pair at a part that was more concrete than nature. Sei brought the car to a sliding stop and jumped out before the engine had died completely.

"Damen!" she shouted, pulling out her hidden gun again and aiming it at him steadily. "Make another move and I will have to injure you!"

Damen looked like a cornered rabbit. He backed away to a stone wall and leaned against it with Anelyn loyally at his side.

"Anelyn, come here," Sei said gently but with enough force to frighten her. She took a few steps towards us, then glanced worriedly back at her brother.

"We know what he's doing to you," I said, walking towards her slowly. I felt as though my legs were possessed. I couldn't stop myself as I got closer and closer to the poor pale girl. "He has no right to make you forget the past like that.

"What are you talking about?" Damen roared. "I am protecting her from what happened in those cells! I want her to forget about it!"

"People need people!" I cried back at him. "That's a quote that I have finally learnt to take on board myself after I met my new friends! You need people to get through the hurt and fear, instead of threatening them and keeping yourself locked away like you have been!"

He scoffed and turned away. "What would you know?"

I pointed back to Jo and Sei. "Take a look, Damen! Take a look at the new family I have found! I'm happy like this, and I'm working through everything to forget about the past! We didn't deserve what happened to us, I know that! But you have to try and deal with it, and that can't be done on your own!"

He refused to answer this time, and I knew how to counter his silence.

"Do it for Anelyn."

A growl escaped from deep in his throat. "You leave my sister out of this!" He lunged for me, his fingers clawed as he reached for me. A gunshot ripped through the air and a cloud of blood exploded before me. Damen crumpled to his feet, screaming as his leg bled profusely.

We all turned to Anelyn simultaneously, expecting her to round on us for hurting her brother, but she didn't say anything at all. She approached him, stared down at him sadly, then stood by my side.

"I'm sorry Damen," she finally said, taking a small bow in front of her brother. "But you had no right to make me forget my friends."

Damen was sent to a mental hospital to heal from his mental wounds and his half missing leg. Anelyn had no sadness in her eyes as he was dragged away in the ambulance, screaming out curses.

Now she was safe with us, another member of the family. She was a little shy at first, hiding in the shadows and trying to avoid everyone, especially Jo, but fortunately she opened up around me.

I learnt many things about her and my memory began to reconstruct. We had been friends as I had suspected, and apparently we even grew to best friends. Her brother Damen had always been careful with us being together. She thought he was jealous, but after they had escaped and he had started to use his powers to make her forget me she realised he was engrossed in his possessive throughs of protection.

I could barely understand the thought that someone had been missing me all this time. That someone had even been looking for me when the chance arose. I was so grateful that I vowed to win this battle with the nightmares for the both of us.


	8. Battle of Nightmares

**Chapter Eight: Battle of Nightmares**

"Meg, umm… I was wondering…"

"What's up, Anelyn?"

"Well, you see…"

Meg stared at Anelyn with a bored expression on her face as the girl struggled to get the words out.

"Just say it," Jo muttered as she walked out of the kitchen with a plate full of meat that Kyo had cooked her. He watched with wide eyes at the pile of food and wondered what sort of creature he was feeding.

I watched as Meg grew more and more frustrated with the flustered Anelyn. She had been here for three weeks now and she was still too shy to complete a sentence… but this was just ridiculous.

"I just wanted to know if you could… uhhh…" Anelyn hung her head in defeat, her face beet red. She turned to run out of the room, but Meg caught her arm.

"Hey, take it easy," she said gently, turning her back around to face her. "Did you want me to do something for you? Just ask. Whatever it is, it's fine."

We all stared at Meg showing a kinder side that she did not often show. Even Jo looked surprised, and she knew everything there was to know about Meg.

Anelyn took a deep breath and finally let it all out. "I was wondering if you could, well, do my hair up like yours…" She hung her head again and looked as if she were going to run again, but Meg still had her arm held softly in her clutches.

"Of course, Anelyn! Come on, let's go now!" She was like an excited school girl as she rushed off with Anelyn and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well that was the biggest waste of time," Jo said in disappointment as she shovelled meat into her mouth. "I thought the girl was actually going to have something important to say this time."

"Oh, leave her alone, Jo." Sei walked into the room so suddenly it was as though she sank in through the walls. "She's still a little, well, 'to herself', but for a perfectly good reason. Look at what's happened to her!"

"Still," Jo muttered. "She could at least try to be a little more lively."

"Meg seems to be enjoying her company," I pointed out as I sat down on the spare booth.

Jo rolled her eyes. "Of course she does. She has a little mannequin to practise her makeovers on now."

As Jo made her little remark we could hear Meg giggling from her room as she styled Anelyn's hair. I laughed as I tried to imagine the terrified look on Anelyn's face at that moment.

As the nights passed, I practised what Anelyn had taught me to fight back in the dreams. The first night had been disastrous. It seemed that Black Hand no longer wanted to fight me face to face. Instead he sent shadowed creatures called Reapers that only came from the darkest of minds. It was a battle of wills, and I woke with cuts all along my arms and shoulders from where they had latched onto me with their bladed hands.

Since then I had slept and imagined myself with a weapon. At first I could only summon up a pitiful rod of wood, and then it turned into a weak spear. As the nights passed it shaped into a lance. Now, when I closed my eyes and dreamed, I was a knight in golden armour, holding onto the hilt of a giant broad sword and cutting through the Reapers as though they had been carved out of tissue.

Anelyn had started to join me in the hope that she could lure out Black Hand, but it seemed he was afraid. Either that, or he was planning something.

After many restless nights we would awake with bumps and bruises, so to heal our aching pains we would rest on the roof of the trailer when Jo was not occupying it.

That was where we lay when Anelyn poured her heart out to me.

"Rachael?"

"Yeah?" I asked casually.

"I want to find everyone else. I won't stop until I find them."

The determination in her voice had me worried for a moment. I thought she was about to race off and rescue them with her dream sword raised in the air, but instead she had tears rolling down her face as she sat up and stared out across the city.

"Anelyn…"

She shook her head and gave a dry laugh. "I'm so pathetic. I tell myself that I can save them, but it's impossible…"

I sat up beside her in a rush. "Impossible? What do you mean? We're going to get Black Hand. He just needs to show his face in our dreams again."

She shook her head again and sighed. "But I don't think he will. Not unless he has a reason to. He knows that we're after him, and he doesn't want to throw everything away."

"Then we'll find him."

"Where do we begin?"

I didn't want to go back there, but as I thought about it, I was sure that it was the only way. "The cells. He has to be there."

She stared at me for a long minute before replying. "Rachael, that is madness. If we go back there than we'll completely lose our minds! Have you seen people in the mental wards? They go through extreme mental changes when they return to places that traumatised them in the first place!"

"Okay, okay," I said, raising a hand of peace. "Than how do we lure him out in our dreams?"

She stared down at her hands as she laid them on the metal. "There is one way… but it is dangerous."

"What do we have to do?" I asked hurriedly.

"You have to remember everything you went through and make sure that you dream about it. He should be dragged into the memory and then we can attack him."

"That sounds difficult, yet simple," I muttered. "How exactly-"

She held up a hand. "It si very difficult to explain. The mind works in amazing ways when it comes to memories. Have you ever had a dream that someone else you know has had on the same night?"

"Well, I've heard about it…"

"It works like that," she said. "But it is dangerous to remember such a thing. Your mind may become unstable and you will be unable to wake up. You could single handedly put yourself in a coma."

"Wow. Dreams are a lot more powerful than I realised," I admitted.

She nodded and rested back on the metal. "Sorry. I shouldn't have suggested something so dangerous."

"No, its fine," I assured her. "But, Anelyn, if it's the only way then I think we should go for it. The longer we wait, the more people like us are being injured in their nightmares."

She exhaled deeply then turned to look at me with an apologetic smile on her face. "If you want to do this, I'm afraid I can't accompany you."

I stared back. "I see…"

"I will keep you safe on the outside incase you start to fail and fall too far into the dream, but I cannot go with you. You are stronger than me, so you have the better chance. I will become too involved in the dream the second I fall into it if I join you."

Now I really understood. "You can heal, can't you? That's why you left me alone in the first few dreams. You were keeping me safe whilst I fought those Reapers."

She gave a little laugh. "No offence, but when you started off you were pretty hopeless."

I snorted. "Gee, thanks."

She burst out laughing, and not just at the joke. She was happy to be free and away from the twisted thoughts of her brother. She had been waiting a long time to just 'let loose' like this, and I was happy to see her smiling so.

"I like being like this," she said as though she were reading my thoughts. "I feel like I can do anything, accept for taking on Black Hand in the realm of dreams of course."

"You really have opened up a lot more than when you first arrived," I pointed out, remembering her shaking form as she hid away in the room she shared with Amy

"They all like me, right?" she asked suddenly, seeming very self conscious suddenly. "You know, Jo and Sei, and Amy and Kyo."

"You sound like me," I said with a smile. "Honestly, I think they do. Meg thinks the world of you, especially when you started to let her style your hair, and Jo likes you, she just doesn't like to admit it. Sei loves everyone like her own little sister, and Amy, well…"

"What?" she asked urgently, sitting up and staring at me, pleading for an answer.

I laughed. "Well apart from the fact that I think she misses having a room to herself, she asked an awful lot about you when you were a zombie on your first days here."

"Really?"

"You better believe it."

Anelyn finally looked calm and content. She rested back with her hands beneath her head. "Thank you. You're a good friend."

I was shocked at the word 'friend'. It had been a long time since I had heard anyone other than my trailer friend call me that. It felt warm, cosy, and I felt her hand close around my way in a secret way of saying 'thanks for being there.'

******

Anelyn and I told the rest of the group that we were planning on facing Black Hand that night. We told them of the dangers, the plan, and what could happen if we failed.

"Sounds pretty intense," Jo said with a frown.

"Worried?" Amy teased with a mischievous grin on her face.

Jo scoffed. "Well how many times have I saved their asses in missions? I would hate for all of that to go to waste."

Sei was deep in thought as she often was, and I could only hazard guesses at what was going through her head. She seemed to be avoiding my gaze and I sank back into the sofa in defeat. If she wasn't happy with the idea, there was no way I would betray her and go through with it. She already looked disappointed, but that didn't mean it was over.

"Are you two sure about this?" Meg asked nervously. "Your putting yourselves at risk!"

"I'll be the one at risk, not Anelyn," I corrected. "Am yes, I am sure. This is the only way to bring Black Hand out, then we can take him down and it will all be over."

"Not necessarily."

We all turned to Sei to let her continue.

"I admire your idea to cut off the head of the snake and therefore bring an end to the ideas of the rest of those filthy bastards, but if you think about it, we don't know how well he is defending himself. If it all comes to imagination, he could best you with weapons and abilities."

"It's not imagination," Anelyn said defensively, clearly cut at the unintentional remark. "It is using our power to reflect our strengths on the inside. You can only conjure what you can handle, and you must maintain so many things whilst you are doing it such as consciousness and awareness. Think of it as more of a battle of wills."

Sei nodded simply. "I see what you mean… Then, I guess I can't stop you. I am not happy with the way things have to be done, but I can't think of another way either. One thing though…"

"What's that?" I asked.

"We'll be spending the night in there to make sure things go okay."

I smiled secretly behind my hand. "Of course. What are families for?"

******

This was it. This was the battle to end all of our pain and suffering. This would be the last attempt at freeing ourselves and keeping others safe from the hands of the evil man me called Black Hand.

I lay back on my bed, my eyes scanning the ceiling and wondering if it was the last thing I would see of the real world. My nervousness was claiming me, and I grasped Anelyn's hand for comfort.

Her head appeared above me. "Don't worry. I won't let you lose yourself."

"That's what needed wanted to hear. Thanks Anelyn."

Behind her I could hear Jo and Sei muttering about the dangers and what exactly they would do if something went wrong. They seemed just as scared as I was, and it didn't suit them at all.

I heard a wrapped crinkling and out of the corner of my eye I could see Amy stumble into the room with a large bag of potato chips. "Have we started yet?" she asked eagerly.

Meg was a shadow behind her, wearing an angry frown. "This is serious, Amy!" she growled, thumping her on the head.

Amy pouted. "Well I don't understand all of this dream stuff! She's just going to sleep, right? How is that a big deal? Why are we watching her sleep, anyway?!"

Sei sighed and nodded her head to Meg, a secret code for her to take Amy out of the room and explain things properly.

As they left the room, Kyo stepped in wearing a black suit with a matching tie, pants, and even rings on his fingers.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Jo barked. "This isn't a funeral! She's still with us!"

Kyo went red. "I'm sorry! I just want to be ready!"

"You mustn't have a lot of faith in her, then!" Jo seemed more uppity than usual.

Kyo went even redder. "I didn't think, alright?"

"Hey Kyo," I called with a shaking voice. "Would have been more helpful if you'd brought along a defibrillator."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

I was able to laugh for perhaps the last time. That was a scary thought. It didn't feel right labelling everything as something that may be the last. I was working myself up, and I was shaking by this point.

A warm hand gripped my shoulder and I realised it was Anelyn. She bent down until our forehead were touching. Her eyes stared intensely into mine, then she kissed me gently on the forehead.

"You became the friend I needed more than anything," she said. "Don't you dare die in there."

I was shocked, but managed to choke out, "I won't. Let's get this started."

Amy and Meg entered the room again, and this time Amy did not look as joyful as she did before. She looked as miserable as everyone else, and I started to feel guilty.

"Come on, now," Sei said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Things aren't over yet."

The mood perked up a little and everyone gave me looks that filled me with hope. I realised that I now had a reason to fight, and I let the feeling wash through me. "Alright. Let's do this."

I plunged into the dream almost as soon as I closed my eyes. I was floating in nothingness at first, then it seemed that my eye sight was focusing. I could make out the bricks and the bloody floor, the cells with doors that scraped and screamed on their hinges. The smell of acrid smoke filled my nose and throat and I began to fear that I had already stepped too far.

Was this real?

I could still feel Satan pulsing through me as it tried to settle from its use. I begged it to calm down, but it was still roaring. He could sense me, I knew it. I could feel my hairs prickling up on the back of my neck as I realised that I was being watched by none other than the Black Hand.

"Hmm… It seems you have an acute sense to me," I heard him mutter from behind. "That's something new. What else do you have with you? How strong is your soul, girl?"

I turned to face him, and as soon as my eyes rested upon his own I remembered many things from the past. It flashed around me as though this world were a sphere and someone had sent it spinning.

"Your name is Darlhan Jey Druis, named Black Hand."

A look of surprise crossed his features.

"The tests were used to see how long humans could last with the drug, Satan, pumping through them. Teenagers seemed the only ones to withstand it."

"How are you…?"

I continued as more information forced itself into my mind. "Your brother, Badge, really named Jack Mitch Druis, was the original creator of Satan."

Darlhan was beyond confused now. "How are you figuring all of this out?"

"Satan was originally a poison, but you changed it secretly to give us these powers. You wanted to use us as berserk creatures that could use to take over the town."

His face drained of colour.

"You became dependant on the comfort of being powerful with your own minions developing… especially me, the most successful." That information sent my mind reeling. _Me? _I thought.

"Enough!" Darlhan roared. "Who is telling you this?"

"We are!"

I turned as a chorus of voices filled the air. The sound echoed in my mind and I fell to my knees at the sight of hundreds of teens gathered, glaring Darlhan down.

"What?" I gasped. "Who are you?"

They all spoke in unison. "We are just like you. We have suffered at the hands of this man. We have been waiting for you to join us here and give us the power to destroy him."

"J-join you?" I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes as I realised I would not be leaving this dream. "You want me to stay here?"

They all looked apologetic as though they shared one face. "It is the only way. We are sorry, but we need your power. It will reveal to the other the location of Darlhan. We will keep him there, immobilized, as the other finds him and ends his reign."

"But I can't stay! I need to be with them!"

"There is no other way."

They spoke so calmly as though this were nothing. I gritted my teeth. "That's not fair…"

"We truly are sorry. We have been watching you in your dreams, unable to help because you were not really with us as you are now. We know your feelings about those people you call a family, and the strength they have given you. Do not let them down by turning away. They want this terror to end as much as you do."

"But we're a family!" I growled, jumping to my feet and facing the mass of people. "Families stay together!"

They stared back at me with sadness in their eyes. "The choice is yours in the end, but do you truly want all of this to be for nothing?"

I fell to my knees, defeated. There was nothing else to be said. The only way to defeat him to become one of them, a wraith with the power to bring Darlhan to a halt and open the path to Anelyn to find him and kill him.

I was never going to see any of them again.

My tears pattered to the bloodied floor, mixing with the dried crimson. I felt so sick and lost, and more alone than ever.

"Your not alone."

I looked up to see a hand held out before me. Behind it was a young girl with a bright smile on her face. I remembered her from the cells. She was in the one next to me. Some nights we would share screams and sobs.

"We are all one," she said, taking one of my hands in her own. "We will all die together, as one. Your friend, Anelyn, will be our legacy. She will bring an end to Satan and set us all free so we can move on to a better world."

"She'll save everyone," I added, tears still streaming down my face. Despite my sorrow, though, I smiled at the young girl. "And she won't be alone."

******

Anelyn stared down at my sleeping body, shaking as she gripped my hand. "Please hold on," she whispered, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "You just need to hold on."

Everyone had surrounded the bed in fear. They knew that something was happening. Anelyn knew I was not fighting, and she could feel me fading away.

Sobs filled the room as Amy's strength broke and she clutched onto Kyo desperately. He tried his best to keep her calm, but she screamed into his leg.

Sei sat down on the bed beside me and stared down at my form, remembering everything she had told me and hoping it was enough. Jo pressed a hand on her shoulder as though to tell her that none of this was her fault.

My mouth twitched, and everyone froze and looked for any other signs of life. Slowly my lips parted and I whispered three words.

"I'm sorry… everyone."

Anelyn felt it as everything she sensed in me ceased. She gripped my hand tighter, yelled at me to come back, pulled at me as though to pull me away from death. Finally she gave into Sei's arms and cried out all of her sorrow into her new older sister figure… her new family.


	9. Satan's End

**Chapter Nine: Satan's End**

Anelyn was a brave girl, with a strong will and a golden heart. She wore this strength with pride and was ready to end the ties to the past that still scorched her.

She walked down the streets with her hands dug into her pockets to protect them from the cold. This was a mission she had wanted to do alone despite being begged to rethink by her friends back in the trailer.

In the end, this was her mission to complete. She knew that I and the rest of the lost souls would be keeping Darlhan in a state of comatose so she could take him and end the secret of Satan.

She looked to the sky as she thought back to her dear friend, the price that had been paid.

"I know you'll keep me safe."

The cells didn't frighten her anymore as she stepped through the bloody alleys. She was determined and kept her eyes facing forward. She could sense him now. It was like a filthy stench that wafted down to her. It felt evil.

_I'm glad you became my friend, Rachael._

Memories were a painful thing when what you remember is no longer with you. She bit her tongue and soldiered forward.

_That looks nasty. Does it hurt?_

"Shit!" She grasped at her head as she remembered blood pouring from her friend after a bullet had grazed her. It was the first time she had healed her, and Rachael had almost jumped through the roof of the trailer at the bright light Anelyn's hand had shone.

Anelyn threw herself against the bars of the nearest cell, swearing and screaming. "Why can't I forget her? Why can't I just… just…"

She slid down to the floor, waiting for the cold to seep in, but instead there was warmth. A pair of hands wrapped around her and she opened her eyes to find a pair of crimson pools stared back at her.

"Jo!" she cried out, throwing herself into the gunner's arms. "I keep thinking about her! I can't stop! It just won't stop!"

Jo hugged her back and ran a hand along her back to calm her. "I know. She was a friend of mine, too. I know it's hard."

Once the crying fit had passed, Anelyn realised that it was not just Jo whom had come to her rescue. Meg, Sei, Amy, and Kyo stood behind the pair in silence.

Anelyn couldn't believe the happiness that bloomed inside of her. "Thank you. You have no idea how happy I am that you came!"

Sei smiled back at her. "We couldn't let you do this alone."

"Of course," Anelyn sobbed. "What are families for?"

******

There he was, so still and unresponsive. Vulnerable.

There lay Darlhan, in all of his sick, twisted glory.

"Bastard!" Anelyn kicked him square in the face, knocking it back and leaving his eyes open a crack. However, he did not see. He was being held back by the power I completed, and Anelyn could smile for the first time, knowing that I was there, just not in the same world as her.

"How are you going to do this?" Sei asked, glaring down at the form of the man whim had destroyed the lives of her two friends.

Anelyn thought for a moment, then a grin spread over her face as she thought of a very fitting death for the man.

Jo stared at her, recognising the blood thirsty smile like a mirror. "What are you thinking, you little psycho?"

"You know, I was always wondering what happened when the drug was injected into adults."

Jo almost laughed at the clever plan. "Let's go and get ourselves a dose."

They headed off to the testing chambers where they found more than enough of the fiery liquid being held in tubes. Anelyn took her fill in a syringe and left the room, leaving Jo at the door to launch one of her favoured ammunition.

"Just got these off the market," she said proudly as she loaded her largest gun with a small missile looking bullet.

"What does it do?" Amy asked, eyeing it curiously.

The smile that Jo had suited her well. "It goes off with a bang."

She fired and slammed the door closed as the blast pounded into the walls. Fire lashed out from beneath the door, but Meg stamped it away fearlessly.

Once the damage was done, Anelyn placed a hand on the wall and pictured the destruction on the other side. "That's that for Satan," she said with a sick glee in her voice. "Now its time for the maker."

Darlhan had not moved as they had trusted. He lay, cuddling himself pathetically with a look of terror on his face. It seemed the souls were not giving him an easy time where they held him.

Anelyn wanted to stare at that face forever, to sketch it so she could see what happened to an evil leader when he was beaten by those that once wore those faces for themselves. The irony had her laughing before the final punishment for the man.

They surrounded him and Anelyn as she knelt by his side and stared into those half hidden eyes of grey. He was a raging storm of spite inside, an emotion reversed from the tortured.

"I always wondered why you became what you did," Anelyn said to him, hoping that he could hear her words. "I always wondered why me and the others had to go through what we did at your hand." She let Satan flow into him and dropped the empty syringe to the ground. "But I guess some people are destined to be evil."

His skin started to red as it reached a burning heat. His face twisted as though he were pleading for the pain to disappear and she realised she was looking to mirror of the past again.

Meg hid Amy behind her, but she held a look of sinister glee. "Burn, asshole!" she growled, reading Anelyn's mind.

Sei stood behind Anelyn and pat her on the back. "It may not seem like it sometimes, but you did the right things," she said.

Jo nodded and stepped back a little as the first flames appeared upon the man's hands.

"You know, Rachael would be proud of you," she said without turning away from the man as he started to burn. "You made sure that she, and the others, didn't die in vain."

Anelyn started to cry again, but this time it wasn't sorry, it wasn't guilt, it was the happiness of freedom. She looked to the ceiling, imagining the sky where her and I had named shapes in the clouds.

"I'll see you again one day, and then we can be together again," she whispered as the evil plague before her died away to ashes.

**The End**

_Author's Note - All finished!! I hope you enjoyed the story and the ending. I was thinking of having a big battle scene, but I couldn't figure out how without making it too cliché. Anyway, I really hope you liked reading this :D_


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